5 June 2009: The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has released “Towards a Low Carbon Travel and Tourism Sector,” a study developed as a result of collaboration between the UNWTO, the World Economic Forum, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and tourism and travel business leaders.

The study puts forward proposals for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in various sectors, such as transport and accommodation. It also considers market mechanisms and innovative methods of financing the transformation towards a green economy and encourages new public-private-partnerships. The study supports global approaches regarding emission trading for aviation and calls for proceeds to be used to set up a “Green Fund for Travel and Tourism” to help finance the trillion dollar mitigation projects identified within the industry.
The study points out how governments, industry stakeholders and consumers can collectively improve the low carbon sustainability of travel, which will in turn enable the continued growth of the sector and the sustainable economic development of nations. It emphasizes the importance of tourism as a development driver for poorer nations and calls for the continued growth of sustainable air transport in these countries. It also underscores the need to continue to address climate change and poverty alongside the economic crisis. [UNWTO Press Release] [The Study]