United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon expressed concern during a visit to Spain on Tuesday over the impact that the drastic rise in global travel is having on climate change. "Some 840 million people travel across borders each year. An even greater number move within their own countries," he said at the Madrid headquarters of the UN's World Tourism Organization.
"This mass travel contributes massively to greenhouse gas emissions," he added.
Ban encouraged the development of more measures to help reduce the impact on the environment of tourism, which he said helps boost cultural understanding, drive economic growth and eliminate poverty.
"In fact, tourism has proved one of the leading ways for the least developed countries to increase their participation in the global economy," he said.
"And by supporting traditional economic sectors like crafts and textiles, it plays a significant role in cultural preservation," he added.
Tourism often requires extensive travel, such as long flights and long drives, that scientists warn are increasingly responsible for the emission of climate-warming greenhouse gases.
Some airlines have drawn up plans to allow ticket buyers to pay an extra fee to pay for the planting of trees to help offset the greenhouse gas emissions of their flights.
Ban will travel on Thursday to the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm in Germany for the Group of Eight summit, which is expected to focus on climate change and how to tackle it.
Source: Agence France-Presse
