Swedish Tourism Cold Comfort For Warming Globe
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 11.13.07
Ice hotels are a hot' tourists spot
The Swedish travel industry is woefully under-prepared for a changing climate, says researcher Stephen Gössling. Tourism to and from Sweden contributes 10 percent of the country's total measured CO2 emissions, according to Gössling's research (that's twice the global average) and with an explosion of budget air carriers and charter companies there's no end in sight - though greener train charter trips have appeared on the scene.
Scandinavians and Germans, with their super-long paid vacations, are avid travelers. They are, the Germans at least, also less likely to choose greener travel alternatives than both the Brits and the Spanish, according to a recent survey, in spite of the availability of CO2 travel offsets.
Offsets have their problems - an article in the Swedih press comparing offset companies found, instead of planting trees or paying for efficiency projects, many are spending the bulk of incoming cash on 'administration'.
Researcher Gössling said the answer is - unfortunately perhaps - new travel taxes - especially applying the VAT to international travel as Britain is doing, and including travel in EU-wide emissions trading. Otherwise Scandinavia's seasonal ice hotels may melt for good. Via ::Ecoprofilen.se (in Swedish)
