Domestic tourism caused 2.6 pct of German CO2 emissions before pandemic

Domestic tourism in Germany caused 24.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents in 2019, accounting for 2.6 percent of all domestic greenhouse gas emissions that year, according to a report by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) that for the first time examines the sustainability of tourism in Germany. Germany's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 reached some 949 million tonnes. Between 2015 and 2019, greenhouse gas emissions in the sector fell by 9.9%, Destatis states. Energy consumption related to tourism spans fuel-intensive sectors like aviation as well as heating for accommodations and catering services.

Energy consumption for the production of goods and services linked to tourism reached 298,824 terajoules in 2019. This corresponded to 3.3% of German energy consumption and 7.2% of the energy consumption of private households. Compared to 2015, energy consumption fell by 4.2%. Market-driven environmental protection services can counteract the environmentally harmful effects of tourism, the report notes. In 2018, companies in the tourism sector spent 1.9 billion euros on such services -- 1.4 billion euros on wastewater disposal and water protection and 500,000 million euros on waste management. Between 2015 and 2018, corporate spending on environmental services in the tourism sector increased by 19.8%.

Tourism accounts for some 5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide – more than a billion tonnes a year. Of these, air travel accounts for 40 percent, car traffic 32 percent and accommodations 21 percent, according to the German environment agency UBA.