China’s reduction in emission intensity seen accelerating after ‘big leap in moving to renewables’: world travel guild

China has reported the second-largest decline in emission intensity within the global travel and tourism sector between 2010 and 2019, according to a report published by the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) in collaboration with the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Tourism.

Julia Simpson, president and CEO of WTTC, said China is expected to see a sharper rate of decline in future as the country steps up usage of renewables in automobiles and aircraft.

The country saw an average annual decrease of 4.5 per cent, just behind Estonia, which achieved a 5 per cent annual decline in emission-intensity, defined as the volume of emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP).

Saudi Arabia ranked 15th with an annual decline of 2.8 per cent, among the best improvements in Middle East countries. Qatar secured the eighth position with a 3.5 per cent annual decline.

The report, which collected data from 185 countries and territories, revealed that between 2010 and 2019, greenhouse gas emissions from the travel and tourism sector increased by an average of 2.5 per cent per year, reaching 4,131 billion kilograms of CO2 equivalent in 2019. This accounted for 8.1 per cent of global emissions.

The report said the travel and tourism industry relied heavily on fossil fuels, and the movement of people worldwide was also energy-intensive. The study also examined trends in air pollution, water usage, and material extraction.