WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Foreign visitors flying into and out of New Zealand emit as much carbon dioxide as the entire country does through its power generation.
The New Zealand Herald reported that University of Otago researchers Inga Smith and Craig Rodger said the greenhouse-gas emissions from visiting tourists were far greater than had been thought.
In 2005, the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from the 2.4 million international visitors' return air flights was nearly 7.9 million tons, about the same as the emissions from all the country's coal-, gas- and oil-fired power generation.
"This equates to 10 percent of the country's Kyoto-liable greenhouse gas emissions for that year. We were surprised by this percentage as it is much higher than the widely quoted world average," Rodger said.
The size of the emissions and difficulties in offsetting them had far-reaching implications for both the tourism industry and efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.
"Awareness of the environmental impact of long-haul flights is increasingly influencing tourists' destination decisions," he said.
