Carbon emissions from the tourism industry in Iceland have increased fivefold since 1995, according to the Air Emission Account for the country’s economy. Statistics published this week show that tourism emissions surged so high that they currently beat out economic segments like metal maritime transport.
Over the past six years, emissions from the country’s tourism industry tripled. The increase coincides with a jump in passengers traveling through Keflavík airport.
In comparison, metal production emissions were lower and appear to start leveling off. Emissions from maritime transport, fishing and food production, and households were all significantly lower than tourism, based on the AEA chart.
“Emissions attributed to activities related to tourism come primarily from the airline industry, with operations of Icelandic airlines growing rapidly over the past six years,” Statistics Iceland says. “In the AEA, no distinction is made between domestic and foreign operations of Icelandic airlines or between services rendered to international tourists or to residents of Iceland.”
The AEA emissions profile differs from the National Inventory Report (NIR), which the Environmental Agency submits to the United Nations Framework for Climate Change, Statistics Iceland reported. “The NIR and AEA are both considered correct numbers for greenhouse gas emissions from Iceland,” the nation’s official statistics institute said. “The underlying questions in the two are, however, different.”
In July, Larissa Kyzer reported in Iceland Review that tourism was at an all-time high in the country, with more than 2 million people visiting last year. “Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of tourists (98.7%) arrive in Iceland via Keflavík International Airport,” she wrote.
In addition, the article noted that from 2012 to 2016, growth in the Icelandic tourism industry accounted for an average of just under 50% of the country’s GDP growth. “Travelers, both foreign and Icelandic, spent a total of $4.68 billion on accommodations, tours, meals, and transportation associated with domestic travel in 2017.”
