WTTC Reveals North America’s Travel & Tourism Climate Footprint

The travel and tourism sector of North America contributed to 9.3 percent of the continent’s greenhouse gas emissions produced in 2019, according to new research conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) in partnership with the Sustainable Tourism Global Center.

The data shows that from 2010 to 2019, the travel and tourism sector continued to outpace its growth in comparison to its reliance upon the causes of greenhouse gas emissions: its contribution to the continent’s gross domestic product grew 3.1 percent on average each year during this period, but greenhouse gas emissions produced by the sector grew on average 1.2 percent each year.

Greenhouse gas emissions produced by the sector have also dropped from 0.53 kg per every $1 of the continent’s GDP in 2010 to 0.45 kg per dollar in GDP by 2019, a drop of 15 percent.

“We are now able to give governments across North America the comprehensive information they need to make significant steps towards the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals…” said Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO. “To reach our goals and ambitions, we must make bigger and bolder steps to reduce our absolute emissions. And for this we need government support in accelerating the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels which will have a significant impact on our footprint, as well as bringing in more renewable energy to our national grids.”

According to the WTTC’s new travel and tourism climate footprint data, the sector contributes to 8.1 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions produced each year.