Since the start of mass tourism in the 1960s, the number of tourists in the world has increased sharply. From being an activity for the rich, holidays today are taken for granted by many in the growing middle class around the world. The growth of tourism has brought economic development and positive social and cultural exchanges, but at the same time tourism contributes to many sustainability problems from an ecological, economic and social perspective. These include, for example, the release of contaminated water, rubbish, the exploitation of attractive landscapes, a reduction in the number of local residents, deforestation from exploitation, over-exploitation of fresh water resources, prostitution, displacement of local populations and greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas emissions from tourism are a serious problem. Most of the greenhouse gas emissions are generated by the long-distance flights that are a central part of today’s tourism.
Do you want to be a more sustainable traveler? Researchers at Mistra Sustainable Consumption have developed an online tool that lets you calculate your trip’s carbon footprint. Learn more at https://travelandclimate.org/.
Emissions from aviation are increasing and the Swedish population’s flying causes as much climate impact as all car traffic in Sweden. About a fifth of these are business trips, while about four-fifths are private travel, mainly in the form of holiday travel.
Latest news about travelling
Soon we’ll be flying again – Here’s how politicians can help make air traffic greener
Airplanes all over the world are currently grounded, which has temporarily reduced global carbon emissions. But when the world slowly goes back to normal, what can we do with respect to aviation so we don't end up with the same emission levels once again? A new...
The transition of aviation – is aviation tax or a requirement for biofuel the best?
A new licentiate thesis examines climate policy instruments to reduce emissions from air travel. It highlights the importance of action at international, national and local level. And the results, surprisingly, show that many measures occur locally. It has been...
Scientific article on methods for climate calculators
David Andersson has published an article about the calculation methodology based on economic data from users’ banks that is used in the climate calculation app Svalna. In the article, he examines advantages and disadvantages and possibilities for standardising future...
Publications about vacations
2024
Mainstreaming sustainable consumption: lessons learned from a four-year research program Journal Article
In: Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, vol. 20, iss. 1, 2024.
Methodology Report for www.travelandclimate.org Version 4.0 Technical Report
2024.
Metodrapport för www.klimatsmartsemester.se Version 4.0 Technical Report
2024.
Exploring pandemic holiday practices: Meaning, experience and aspiration Journal Article
In: Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, vol. 5, iss. 2, 2024.
2023
Digitalization: A Potential Tool for Sustainable Consumption? Book Chapter
In: pp. 189–204, 2023, ISBN: 978-3-031-33246-3.
Carbon footprint effects of shifting from flights to night trains for Swedish tourism Journal Article
In: Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 420, 2023.
2022
Aviation’s climate impact allocated to inbound tourism: decision-making insights for “climate-ambitious” destinations Journal Article
In: Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 2022.
Semester under pandemin - Beteendeförändring och upplevelser hos svenska folket under den första covid-19 sommaren 2020. Technical Report
2022, ISSN: 2003-2188.
Potentials and consequences of altered consumption practices Technical Report
2022, ISBN: 978-91-8040-178-4.
62 sätt att möjliggöra hållbar konsumtion Technical Report
2022, ISBN: 978-91-8040-202-6.
Årsrapport 2021 Periodical
2022.
Consumption-based Scenarios for Sweden - a basis for discussing new climate targets Technical Report
2022, ISBN: 978-91-88041-40-1.
Klimatsmart semestrande - Tekniska lösningar, förändrat beteende och politiska styrmedel Technical Report
2022, ISBN: 978-91-88041-44-9.
Långväga resande i linje med klimatmålen Technical Report
2022.
2021
Konsumtionsbaserade scenarier för Sverige - underlag för diskussioner om nya klimatmål Technical Report
2021, ISBN: 978-91-88041-36-4.
Shifting expenditure on food, holidays, and furnishings could lower greenhouse gas emissions by almost 40% Journal Article
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2021.
Årsrapport 2020 Periodical
2021, visited: 03.05.2021.
2020
Årsrapport 2019 Periodical
2020, visited: 30.03.2020.
FLYGRESORNA OCH KLIMATET - Utsläppsminskningar och acceptans för klimatsmartare alternativ Technical Report
2020.
2019
Att semestra hållbart? En kartläggning av vad hållbart semestrande kan innebära Technical Report
2019, ISBN: 978-91-7873-131-2.
2018
Semestern och klimatet Metodrapport. Version 1.0 Technical Report
2018.