Oxford/Nairobi, 11 April
2008-An international seminar on climate
change adaptation and mitigation in the
tourism sector concluded today in the United
Kingdom after involving 30 high level tourism
and environment officials from developing
countries and Small Island developing states.
Organised and coordinated
by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and Oxford University's Centre for
the Environment (OUCE) jointly with the
United Nations World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) and the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO) this international practical seminar
for tourism stakeholders focused on capacity
building and pragmatic adaptation and mitigation
techniques and methods for developing countries
and small island states in order to address
the problems and meet the challenges presented
by climate change.
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The seminar's delegates
contributed to and took part in a series
of sessions at Oxford University's Balliol
College. For three days the participants
received high level training and carried
out interactive debates including practical
ways of integrating the mitigation of and
adaptation to climate change in the tourism
sector.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General
and UNEP Executive Director, said:"The
tourism industry has a key role to play
in confronting the challenges of climate
change. Indeed there is now a clear understanding
that the industry can be part of the solution
to climate change, by reducing its green
house gas emissions as well as by helping
the communities where tourism represents
a major economic source to prepare for and
adapt to the changing climate".
"With its close
connections to the environment and climate
itself, tourism is considered to be a vulnerable
and highly climate-sensitive economic sector,
similar to agriculture, insurance, energy,
and transportation" said Dr. Murray
Simpson, a Senior Research Associate at
the Oxford's University Centre for the Environment
and scientific coordinator of the seminar.
"At the same time, tourism is a contributor
to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, including
emissions from transport, accommodation
and activities. In 2005, tourism's contribution
to CO2 emissions was estimated to be approximately
5%. Measured as warming effect these emissions
could represent up to 14% of global warming
effect".
Contact Nick Nuttall,
UNEP Spokesperson/Head of Media
The University of Oxford Press Office
Dr. Murray Simpson, Senior Research Associate,
Oxford University Centre for the Environment
