THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Thursday, 20 Aug, 2009
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How new technologies can be used to achieve climate neutral actions in travelling.
Key industry leaders show the response from air and rail transport and hotel accommodation links of the tourism supply chain.
This discussion looks at the type of tourism supply chain that is need d in the global green economy, focusing on air and rail travel, and the hotel section. Background information for this discussion should include a look at the recently made two minute clip of global air travel 8 www.travelmole.tv/watch_vdo.php ) to see how big the tourism sector global footprint looks from space …. It is clear to see that the tourism sector cannot be ignored in climate change discussions.
UNEP have covered the transport element of tourism travel though their GEI policy brief: www.unep.org/greeneconomy/ (see extract below) looking at a more sustainable transport system that favours the train for journeys under 750 kilometres, and several legislative and fiscal policies to regulate transport the green economy.
The UNWTO have invited the European Accommodation sector to participate in their hotel energy solutions project.
Global Green New Deal: Policy brief p 22
Green Economic Initiative section on Sustainable Transport says …
´An increase in energy efficiency and a shift away from energy-intensive modes in both passenger and freight movement are required in order to achieved the necessary reductions from transport greenhouse gas emissions within the next 50 years.
Together with integrated transport planning and demand management, low carbon fuels and greater electrification of transportation is needed to meet short- and long-term economic and sustainability targets. Greater demand for renewable energy in the transport sector through the increased electrification of road transport (from plug-in hybrids to full electric vehicles) can be linked to a growth in renewable power generation.
These complementary sectors could absorb skilled labour from other transport subsectors, including the automotive industry. One way of moving in a more sustainable transport direction through targeted investment is to include “green” conditionalities to large-scale bail out plans provided to automobile manufactures to significantly improve automotive fuel economy and redirect research to more affordable on-board energy storage.
International financial institutions can also catalyze a modal and efficiency shift by targeting investment for well-planned, greener transport infrastructure that meets the needs of all users – both motorized and nonmotorized. The planning of urban and peri-urban centres according to mixed-use and smart growth design principles must be part of a sustainable transport future. Urban development along these principles will serve to lower dependence on personal vehicles and support the increased use of public transport systems and non-motorized transport for short distances and daily commutes.
Rail currently accounts for only three percent of transport energy use and greenhouse gas emissions: increasing the market share of rail would greatly improve overall transport resource and energy efficiency – particularly in developing countries and for freight transport. While the efficiency gains depend on the mix between diesel and electric traction for freight trains and the fuel used to generate electric power, according to the International Transport Forum rail can move goods long distances with significantly lower CO2 emissions than road haulage, on condition that the rail operation itself is efficient. Some governments have successfully provided grants to shift freight from road to rail to reduce CO2 emissions at reasonable cost with careful targeting. The International Energy Agency in its 2008 energy report estimates that shifting 25 percent of all air travel in 2050 under 750 km to high-speed rail travel would result in savings of around 0.5 Gt of CO2/ year. In addition, if 25 percent of all road freight journeys over 500 km were shifted to rail,
0.4 Gt of CO2 more could be saved per year. The increase in rail infrastructure investment worldwide would lead to long-term job creation and absorb labour from other less efficient sectors. In International Energy Agency “business as usual” scenarios, CO2 emissions from the transport sector are expected to grow by 120 percent by 2050 compared to 2000 levels. Emissions from light-duty vehicles grow more slowly, but are still 90 percent higher in 2050 than in 2000.
While there are significant finance and policy challenges to be overcome, the transport sector – and in particular road transport – offers enormous opportunities for efficiency gains, in addition to employment and economic stimulus through the movement of people and goods. Fiscal measures aimed at converting economies from fossil fuel-based, inefficient, private transportation to renewables-based, efficient, public transportation is already visible in a number of countries – but widespread use and promotion is needed to meet sustainability and economic objectives.`
Finally the use of ICT is important in understanding how New Technologies are being appliedd to create sustainable tourism development processes. The European Environment Agency have created alongside the DestiNet Sustainable Tourism Information Portal an Environmental Technologies Atlastechnologies.ew.eea.europa.eu/atlas_map
which allows tourism stakeholders to get in touch with over 40,000 suppliers of environmentally friendly technologies throughout Europe.
Symposium presenters:
- Moderator. Luigi Cabrini
- Thea Chiesa, Head of Aviation, Travel and Tourism Industry, World Economic Forum (WEF)
Towards a Low Carbon Travel & Tourism Sector
- Margrethe Sagevik, Senior Advisor Sustainable Dev., International Union of Railways (IUR)
Sustainable Travel after the Copenhagen Agreement – Tourism and Railways in a Green Global Economy
- Zoritsa Urosevic, Executive Secretary, UNWTO Business Council
Accommodation Sector Action in a Green Economy – The Hotel Energy Solutions Project
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