Travel

To travel is to live - and pollute

Travel has become an essential part in our lives, not only privately (tourism), but also in our work (business). According to Kaitlyn Brajcich at Sustainable Travel International (2021), over the past two decades, the number of international tourist arrivals more than doubled – even surpassing 1.4 billion in 2019!

As this has been great for economic growth and personal fulfilment, it has come at the expense of the environment. Tourism, and business travels, accounted for 8% of the global greenhouse gas emissions between 2009 and 2013.  

Related to tourism, some actions have been taken. For example, Hawaii has banned the sale of reef-toxic sunscreens, Dubrovnik limited the number of cruise ships that can dock each day, Palau protected 80% of its waters, and Barcelona cracked down on illegal vacation rentals. 

Organisations like Sustainable Travels International are trying to raise awareness about the impact of our travels, and how to minimise the effects. LINK

We still have a long way to go, but there are things that you can do on your own to improve sustainability. In this module we will go into details about what, for example, airlines do to improve sustainability (can the use of supersonic flights be sustainable?) or what the impact is by staying at home or travelling (climate impact and the effect of the economy of the country you are visiting). We will explore and ask what we can do and provide tips and tricks you can use to improve sustainability. We hope to provide skills needed to convert knowledge into actions.