How can overseas travel be sustainable at all?

Are you wondering: Can overseas travel be sustainable at all? Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by flying contribute to global warning. Climate Action is the most urgent of all Sustainable Development Goals—we agree! We also agree that the tourism industry is a major contributor to climate change, and that much of tourism—as practiced nowadays—might be causing more harm than good.

Unfortunately, the same applies to almost all industries, because we do not pay the real costs for the products and services that we consume. There is no doubt—we all need to consume less and more consciously, and we need to start paying fair prices for our consumption!

In travel, this means that we need to travel less and more consciously. For example, instead of going on frequent weekend trips to crowded cities, take a long vacation once a year to travel slowly and explore less visited destinations. It also means that we need to pay more to compensate for the effects of GHG emissions and choose more environmentally friendly options, amongst others.

However, this doesn’t mean that we need to stop traveling altogether. To the contrary, we live in a complex global system with lots of inter-dependencies. Taking extreme action towards one goal is likely to come with a lot of negative side consequences that eventually will come to harm that very same goal.

We at Fair Voyage believe travel is not only the problem, but that sustainable travel will be part of the solution to mitigate climate change and other urgent problems—by giving local populations a sustainable income source that will help them and us protect and restore a biodiverse nature; and by fostering the intercultural understanding and global consciousness that we need to co-create [y]our vision for a peaceful and sustainable world.

Imagine a local community living in the rainforest. To make a living, they have the option cut down the forest to make use of the land and wood for food production, construction and firewood for heating. Or they might sell their land to agricultural, forestry or mining companies who again will destroy the forest and its biodiversity. All of these outcomes have negative effects for our climate.

Now imagine we can provide an alternative income source for the communities, a source of income that encourages them to protect and restore the forest and biodiversity. What could that be? Sustainable tourism! Imagine communities can make a living from accommodating travelers, guiding us through their biodiverse habitat and helping us experience their traditional ways of living. That way, we can preserve nature, foster mutual understanding, lift communities out of poverty—and experience a truly enjoyable and sustainable vacation.

To summarize, sustainable travel can be a force for good:

• As a vital source of employment and income, especially for the world’s most vulnerable regions
• As a funding source for conservation and restoration of nature, biodiversity and cultural heritage
• As means to foster intercultural understanding and global consciousness

We have already conducted research on the impact of flying and to identify the best GHG offset solutions as part of our climate action plan.

More research is needed on each of the above points, to create more holistic solutions. Would you like to collaborate with us for a research project, share relevant research results or create meaningful solutions? Please email partner@fairvoyage.com.

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