Download A Research on the Low-carbon Economy and Low-carbon Tourism

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A Research on the Low-carbon Economy and Low-carbon Tourism
HU Yingchun, REN Chenghao
School of Business Administration, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan,
China, 114051
[email protected]
Abstract: since the late 20th century. Low-carbon economy appeared, then quickly swept the world. It
is not only a new slogan for human beings to protect the earth, but also the human’s health life for the
pursuit of people in the post-industrial era, and the ultimate goal of achieving sustainable development.
The so-called low-carbon tourism is the green tourism which to borrow the concept of low-carbon
economy, with low power consumption, low pollution. It not only provided the new demands for the
development of tourism resources planning, but also put forward the specific demands for tourists and
the whole tour process. It requires through every aspect of food, housing, transportation, travel,
shopping and entertainment to reflect energy conservation and pollution reduction, with action to
explain the building of harmonious society, economy and civil society.
Keywords: Low- carbon Economy, sustainable development, Low-carbon tourism
1 Introduction
With the process of the construction of human ecological civilization, low-carbon economy are
increasingly affecting and inducing human productive and consumptive patterns. Low-carbon economy
was launched in the UK, and then gradually accepted by the world. In fact, low-carbon economy is to
mitigate global climate change, deal with the energy crisis, the human advocated a "low power
consumption, low pollution, low emissions and high efficacy, high efficiency, high benefit" sustainable
economic development model. The core philosophy of low-carbon economy development is “to less
carbon emissions, to gain greater economic, environmental and social benefits”, that is,” rely on the
technology innovation and policy measures and implement an energy revolution to establish a less
greenhouse gas emissions economic development patterns”. Global climate warming, energy security
and industrial upgrading are the main driver of the low-carbon economy.
Low-carbon economy is a new breakthrough for the human to face global climate change, practice the
sustainable development concept, seek ecological model of economic development. It "rejected the 21
century traditional growth model, using the new century innovation technologies and innovation
systems, through the low carbon economy mode and low-carbon lifestyle, to realize the sustainable
development ". Tourism related to "transportation, residence, food, travel, shopping, entertainment,
marketing, environment" and many other aspects, is a comprehensive stage of human material, spiritual
and ecological civilization. It can be a cutting edge of low carbon economic development model.
Over the years, from the change path of tourism development method, we experienced sustainable
tourism theory, the practice of eco-tourism, and still continue to explore the basic principles and the
method of sustainable tourism and eco-tourism. For example, tourism resource development can not
bring disaster to the interests of future generations; travel experience should protect natural and cultural
heritage resources, the implementation of the least disturb to the natural ecology and spices resources
system ; tourism interests share should carry out the fair and square principle and take into account
different stakeholders concerns; tourism development should keep the pace to the times, with the ability
to respond to crises and changes. Implementing the concept of sustainable tourism development,
promoting eco-tourism practices, making great progress in the concept of "number management, quality
control, district improvement, environmental governance and crisis response" in tourism area, and
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formed the "eco-tourism label area", "tourism brand label area." This has great prominence in the
international field. China has China Tourism basic national conditions. While in the practice of
promoting green tourism, eco-tourism, have been or are being made considerable progress, but most
tourists, tour operators and tourism manager who has just begun to know the “carbon emission”.
Individual media even launched a "developing low-carbon travel experience at the expense of travel
experience quality" discuss. Therefore, advocating low-carbon travel, explore new approaches has
naturally become the important tourism way.
2 The Interpretation and Birth of a Low Carbon Economy
2.1 The Birth of the Concept of the Low- carbon economy
In 1972 the Rome Club published "The Limits to Growth", the first time to think about the high energy
consumption and high pollution traditional industrial civilization and the development mode of
high-carbon economy. Kyoto, Japan in 1997 put through an international treaty “Kyoto Protocol” to
control the emissions of greenhouse gas by the legal, it brought the formation of the low-carbon
economy concept. 2003 UK Energy White Paper "Our future energy advanced the low carbon economy
--- as a new concept. For the target of the emissions of CO2 reduce by 20% from 1990 to 2020 and 50%
to 2050, British government optimized energy structure, vigorously developed renewable energy;
adjusted energy policy, collected climate change and energy products tax; emphasized on technology
innovation, developed low carbon energy technologies; reduced the energy and carbon comprehensively.
promote home energy efficiency, promote thermal insulation buildings materials to reduce receive
energy-saving; to promote energy-saving lamps, LED green lighting, out of incandescent lighting to
achieve energy efficiency; to buy energy-saving appliances, such as energy-saving air-conditioning,
energy saving refrigerators, energy-saving washing machines, energy-saving computer and so on, to
achieve energy-saving appliances; to promote hybrid cars, encourage the use of bicycle travel to receive
a low-carbon transport.
2.2 The Interpretation of the Concept of the Low-carbon Economy
The so-called low-carbon economy is with low power consumption, low pollution-based green economy.
Its core is based on the market mechanism, through institutional framework and policy development and
innovation, to form a clear, stable and long time encourage, promote energy efficiency technologies,
energy conservation technologies, renewable energy technologies and greenhouse gas emission
reduction technology development and use, and promote the model transition towards energy efficiency,
low energy consumption and carbon emissions.
2.3 The Impact for the Macroeconomic Economy of the Future World
2.3.1 Carbon emissions as a new identity for measuring the human economic development
Carbon emissions, from the surface is the reflection of human energy use patterns and level, but in
essence, is a new identity of human economic development mode. Agricultural Society is essentially a
low-carbon society; industrial society is essentially a high-carbon society. The results show that in the
long history of agricultural society, the greenhouse gases (CO2) concentration has been stabilized at
280PPM, the concentration play a balancing role for the earth atmospheric temperature changes. Since
the first industrial revolution, greenhouse gases (CO2) concentration has been rapidly rising (IPCC,
2000). With the support of the fossil energy system, the human formed the thermal power, petrochemical,
iron and steel, building materials, non-ferrous metals industry, and thus derived from cars, ships,
aviation and other industries, these high-energy consumption industries can be called high-carbon
industry that fossil energy-intensive industries. It found that on the one hand, the development and use
of fossil fuels has changed the human form and level of economic development, was a evaluation
identity of material and human wealth; on the other hand, the scale and speed of the use of fossil energy
were line-related to the growth of CO2 emissions, and are affecting the internal balance of earth's natural
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ecological systems. Therefore, the fossil energy consumption, CO2 emissions and concentrations of CO2
in the atmosphere is a new identity to measure the level of economic development.
2.3.2 Becoming an international political issue
Before the Bali General Assembly, low-carbon economy has already lot of heated discussions, the "Stern
Report", U.S. "An Inconvenient Truth" filmed by Vice President Al Gore as well as more than 4000
scientists from the over world completed IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on Climate Change,
unanimous become the scientific hypothesis that in the early 1896, Cornelius's "fossil fuel combustion
will increase atmospheric concentrations of CO2, which cause global warming" to a political proposition
that "only to the 2050 , controlling level of the CO2 concentration in atmospheric within 2 times less
than in pre-industrial level, it may avoid the extreme consequences of climate change." For such a
conclusion, the politicians say "climate change" has been confirmed by the scientists, but scientists said
the conclusions of science have been recognized by the politicians, thus, the scientists and politicians
reached a high degree of consensus in the "climate change" issue. To this end, the 2007 Nobel Peace
Prize was awarded to Vice President Al Gore and IPCC Expert Group who concentrated on this issue.
2.3.3 Low-carbon economy is another major rule in the world development process
Modern history of world civilization has formed two and a half rules every country must comply with.
The first is the United Nations Charter. The second is the GATT. The third is half the rules, now only
take half a step, but it will eventually become the third rule, which is "United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change." The content, principles and basic content is still under negotiated, but
it has become the prototype, that is to clear the "common, but differentiated responsibilities of global
climate change."
2.3.4 Low carbon economy provides long-term direction for the international community
December 1997, 149 countries and territories under the UN framework recognized legally binding
international treaty "Kyoto Protocol" which becomes a global institutional arrangement to control the
CO2 emissions. It gives the goal of reducing emissions to the "industrialized" countries, companies
within a specific time. This landmark paper also provides three kinds of flexible mechanisms to reduce
emissions: "international emissions trading", "joint implementation" and "Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM)".
3 The Interpretation of A Low-Carbon Tourism
3.1 The Concept of the low-carbon tourism
Low-carbon tourism is a new tourism mode created under the context of a low carbon economy; the
low-carbon tourism is the goal of sustainable tourism development. So called low carbon travel is to
borrow the concept of low-carbon economy, with low power consumption, low pollution-based green
tourism. It not only put forward the new demands for the development and planning of tourism
resources, but also put forward the specific demands for tourists and the whole tour process. It requires
through food, housing, transportation, travel, shopping and entertainment to reflect every aspect of
energy conservation, pollution reducing, with action to explain the building of the harmonious, economy
and civil society.
3.2 The Significance of the low-carbon tourism
To relieve global climate change and realize sustainable development, low-carbon economy is becoming
a new development trend, and growing influence and induce the change of the human production and
consumption patterns. Tourism, as one of today's most important industry, in response to the low-carbon
economic development, is a necessary requirement of the human development, improves the tourism
quality, and attains greater economic, environmental and social benefits.
The “low carbon” in the express of the low- carbon tourism means the lower or lower travel carbon
emissions, which in fact implies the "zero carbon" meaning. Low-carbon tourism focus on the
greenhouse gas emissions control in the tourism development, that is, through the development of low
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carbon tourist traffic, low-carbon tourism accommodation, low-carbon tourism meal and low-carbon
tourism activities and so on, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions volume. Low-carbon tourism, based
on the characteristics of the control of the greenhouse gas emissions, has important practical
significance for the human sustainable development in the ecological and civilized age.
According to the study of the" Climate Change and Tourism: Responding to Global Challenges"
published by World Tourism Organization in 2008, in 2005, for example, the volume of CO2 emissions
of tourism development reached the 1.3 billion tons (mainly from tourist traffic, tourism accommodation
and tourism activities, 3 aspects), accounting for 419% of all CO2 emissions from human activities, but
in human-induced global warming contribution, the entire tourism sector accounted for 5% to 14%,
although this is not a significant proportion currently, if maintaining the current development approach
and tourism growth rate, according the prediction, by 2035 CO2 emissions from the tourism sector will
increase 152%, and the entire tourism sector's contribution rate to global warming will increased 188%.
Clearly, the growing trend of the tourism sector contributed to global warming, is contrary to the future
of the international community on climate change control strategy, because according to the latest IPCC
report prediction that the global greenhouse gas emissions in the future 10 to 15 years after the peak will
be gradually reduced to half the 2000 level until the middle of this century. Therefore, controlling
greenhouse in gas emissions tourism development, developing low-carbon tourism, is imperative.
The tourism industry seizes the strategic high ground of Low-carbon development. Developing the
low-carbon tourism is the concrete action for the tourism industry to respond to "the international
Framework Convention on Climate Change", maintain the sustainable development of human society,
which reflects the concern of the tourism development of human well-being, social equity, ecological
security and other issues related to sustainable human development consistent responsibilities and
mission, demonstrates the highest values to benefit the mankind.
4 The Approach of the Low-Carbon Tourism
4.1 Establishing the concept of a low carbon
Firstly, following the industrial age way. Post-industrial era is the way that abandoned industrial age
practices, gave out of extensive development mode, and maintained its eco-environment to develop the
social economics.
Secondly, the "God oriented tourism development". Travel service is oriented by the people, but the
tourism-oriented development should be guided by God.
Thirdly, the social heritage is the best low-carbon tourism resources. The United Nations, " Convention
of protect the World Cultural and Natural Heritage " carry out specific "hard" protection to the main
object, such as artifacts, buildings, sites, natural areas, etc., and "soft" legacy mostly been mercilessly
ignored. Social heritage is a "soft" legacy, which is different from the non-material cultural heritage, but
a Living Heritage.
4.2 Promoting the low-carbon behavior
As stakeholders, such as tourists, tourism developers, tourism enterprises, tourism managers should be
low-carbon in the behavior. Tourists should form a healthy, ecological and sustainable way to travel.
Tourism developers do not do the "hard" development for the natural attractions, to do a "soft"
development. "More use, less development" is the principle, selective development of low-carbon
tourism resources and less economic development tickets. Tourism enterprises are to provide
low-carbon-based tourism products to tourists, and establish the "carbon offsetting scheme". They can
make carbon offsets according to reducing the Emissions volume of the carbon as well as planting.
Travel managers are mainly controlled the number of visitors, and made "low carbon" education to
visitor, through visitor management, scenic area management to achieve low-carbon.
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4.3 Creating low-carbon tourism products
The traditional hotel industry, transportation, scenic and so on discharged the carbon dioxide in different
forms, environmental tourism products should be designed to build low-carbon tourism products system,
food, housing, transportation, travel, entertainment, shopping and so on should vigorously implement
the "low Carbon tourism "travel philosophy, promote energy conservation, green consumption.
Firstly, in the tourist meal, try to use local ingredients, choose the green food, organic food, avoid the
use of disposable tableware, and promote the use of dinner buffet form.
Secondly, in the tourist hotels, low- carbon hotels should be build on the concept of green hotels, such as
rating "low-carbon five-star hotel", with new energy-saving technologies, reduce energy consumption,
implement the waste separation, reduce the frequency of cotton replacement and room cleaning, and
reduce the "six small pieces" and so on.
Thirdly, in the tourist traffic, the tourists may use more traditional means of transport, select the foot,
pass through and camp etc. strong experience tourism modes. They also control the vehicles’ enter to
same spot within the same time, prohibit outside vehicles, scenic private cars, official cars and taxis to
enter, adopt environmentally friendly cars, battery car, animal-drawn carts, rickshaws and other modes
of transport and less pollution in travel and tourism scenic spots to protect the ecological environment.
Fourthly, in tourism the way, the achievement of the low-carbon depends on the realization of low
carbon tourist attractions. The development and management of the scenic spots should be created on
the concept of the low-carbon, and Government Through advocacy, guidance to encourage tourists
choose low carbon tourism way.
Fifthly, in tourism shopping, try to buy the original ecological goods and resist excessive packaging,
complex designed travel products.
Lastly, in tourism entertainment, we should reduce the development of large-scale Virtual and cultural
performing arts class, to vigorously develop the original ecology and authentic local cultural tourism
projects.
4.4 Building low-carbon industry system
Comprehensive, complexity, and strong association reflects the strong tourism drive, which is why the
tourism industry needs low-carbon tourism industry and related industries, the external support system
to build low-carbon tourism industry system. From a single low-carbon development of the tourism
industry to the linkage development and finally to the development of regional economic integrated
low-carbon, the achievement of the tourism industry low-carbon path, the constitutes of the industrial
chain of the organic linkage, good industrial system on every aspect of saving energy and reducing work
arrangements, the overall promotion of the realization of low-carbon travel.
5 Conclusion
Tourism industry response to the national "energy conservation" policy, to develop "low-carbon
tourism", and vigorously promote low-carbon way to travel, to promote the sustainable development of
tourism industry, conform to the tourism industry's future trends.
References
[1]. Cai Meng, Wang Yuming. Low-carbon Tourism: A New Mode of Tourism Development [J].
Tourism Tribune, 2010(1), pp. 13-17. (in Chinese)
[2]. Cai Meng, Wang Yuming. Low-carbon Tourism: A New Mode of sustainable Tourism
Development [C].the abstract booklet of China Geographical Society Centenary, 2009. pp. 110.
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[3]. Wang Yan. Low carbon tourism: the necessary choice of the tourism development [N]. China
Tourism News, 2010.4.14, pp. 11. (in Chinese)
[4]. Wei Xiaoan. Low carbon economy and low carbon tourism [N]. China Tourism News, 2009.11.30,
pp. 2. (in Chinese)
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