Last year, the aviation sector generated 172 million tons of CO2 in Europe, an increase of 16% compared to the previous year, according to a study by Mabrian on the impact of aviation on the carbon footprint and tourist sustainability of destinations. Europeans in 2023.
Mabrian’s study, which was released during a virtual session organized by UN Tourism and the European Travel Commission (ETC) on measuring the carbon footprint of the tourism sector, found that aviation represents 4% of the total carbon footprint generated in the Europe and that the top 10 countries receiving the highest number of travelers generate 84% of total aviation emissions in Europe.
“In Europe, during 2023, countries contributing significantly to aviation-related CO2 emissions include, in this order, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Russia and France. These countries represent a significant part of the total CO2 emissions generated by tourism”, says Mabrian, in a statement released this Wednesday, March 27th.
Portugal also appears in the Mabrian study, appearing, together with Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Greece, as one of the countries with the highest CO2 emissions, right after the countries that receive the largest number of travelers and lead this ranking.
By country, the Mabrian study indicates that the United Kingdom led the ranking of countries with the highest CO2 emissions in 2023, with 31.4 million tons of CO2 generated, representing 18% of total emissions.
After the United Kingdom, the ranking is made up of Germany and Spain, both with 20 million tons of CO2 and representing 12% of the share of total emissions in Europe.
Russia and France occupy fourth and fifth place, respectively, contributing 18 million tons of CO2, which is equivalent to 10% of European emissions.
This ranking is also made up of Italy, which came in sixth place with 13 million tons of CO2 and a percentage of 7% of European emissions, followed by the Netherlands, which emitted nine million tons of CO2, which represents 5% of the total.
Switzerland and Portugal share the eighth and ninth positions, generating six and five million tons, respectively, which is equivalent to 3% of emissions, while Greece ends the list with four million tons, contributing 2% of total emissions. CO2.
“There is a significant variation in emissions generated compared to 2022, increasing by 16% in total. This is especially notable in some countries such as the United Kingdom with an increase of 24.20%, followed by Italy with an increase of 22.69% and France with an increase of 15.93%”, highlights Mabrian, in the information disclosed.
According to Mabrian, to offset this carbon footprint “around seven billion trees are needed per year, which represents 11% of Europe’s total forest mass, according to European Union estimates and the Encon consultancy report.” .
Mabrian’s study took into account the main indicators of the carbon footprint generated by air travelers, such as the relationship between this footprint and the destination’s tourist revenue and the dependence of destinations on source markets and the distance to these markets, also examining the impact of long-haul flights and providing specific data on the contribution of aviation to CO2 emissions in the tourism industry.
According to Carlos Cendra, partner and Director of Marketing and Communication at Mabrian, this study “aims to raise awareness among tourist destinations of the need to measure the impact that their visitors have on the environment, in order to act accordingly, take compensatory measures and move towards Net Zero or the climate neutrality goal set for 2050.”
“Measurement is the key to being able to act and achieve the defined objectives. On the other hand, we propose the use of cross-indicators, such as the relationship between the carbon footprint and the income generated by visitors in the local economy of the destination, which allow a better measurement of the impact of a balanced management perspective”, adds the person in charge.
