Policy considerations to reduce carbon emissions

As governments around the world grapple with how to reduce carbon emissions, various policy modifications and interventions have emerged. What is working, and what more can be done?

Policy interventions, destination management and collective action

Sacchi, R., Becattini, V., Gabrielli, P. et al. How to make climate-neutral aviation fly. Nat Commun 14, 3989 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39749-y
Gössling, S. & Higham, J.E.S. (2020). The low carbon imperative: Destination management under urgent climate change. Journal of Travel Research 60(6), 1167-1179. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520933679
Scott, D. and Gössling, S. 2021. Destination net-zero: What does the International Energy Agency roadmap mean for tourism? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1962890
Sun, Y.Y. & Higham, J.E.S. (2020). Overcoming information asymmetry in tourism carbon management: The application of a new reporting architecture to Aotearoa New Zealand. Tourism Management https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104231
Sun, Y.Y., Lin, P.C. & Higham, J.E.S. (2020). Optimising the tourism demand mix: Concept and analysis. Tourism Management 81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104161
Markham, F., Young, M., Reis, A. & Higham, J.E.S. (2018). Does carbon pricing reduce air travel? Evidence from the Australian Clean Energy Future policy, July 2012 to June 2014. Journal of Transport Geography, 70, 206-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2018.06.008
Hickel, J., Brockway, P., Kallis, G., Keysser, L., Lenzen, M. Slameršak, A., Steinberger, J. and Ürge-Vorsatz, D. Urgent need for Post-growth climate mitigation scenarios. Nature Energy 6, 766-768 (2021). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-021-00884-9
Higham, J.E.S., Ellis, L. & Maclaurin, J. (2019). Tourist aviation emissions: A problem of collective action. Journal of Travel Research (Tourism Foundations Conceptual Article) 58(4): 535–548. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287518769764

Climate policy and transport governance

Gössling, S. and Humpe, S. (2023). Net-zero aviation: Time for a new business model? Journal of Air Transport Management 107, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2022.102353
Gössling, S., Balas, M., Mayer, M. and Sun, Y.-Y. (2023). A review of tourism and climate change mitigation: The scales, scopes, stakeholders and strategies of carbon management. Tourism Management 95, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104681
Sun, Y.Y., Gössling, S. and Zhou, W. (2022). Does tourism increase or decrease carbon emissions? A systematic review. Annals of Tourism Research 97, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2022.103502
Gössling, S. and Lyle, C. 2021. Transition policies for climatically sustainable aviation. Transport Reviews, https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2021.1938284
Gössling, S., Nicolosi, J. and Litman, T. 2021. The health cost of transport in cities. Current Environmental Health Reports, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-021-00308-6
Gössling, S., Humpe, A., Fichert, F. and Creutzig, F. 2021. COVID-19 and pathways to low-carbon air transport until 2050. Environmental Research Letters, 16, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abe90b
Howitt, O. J. A., Carruthers, M. A., Smith, I. J., & Rodger, C. J. (2011). Carbon dioxide emissions from international air freight. Atmospheric Environment, 45(39), 7036-7045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.09.051
Smith, I. J., & Rodger, C. J. (2009). Carbon emission offsets for aviation-generated emissions due to international travel to and from New Zealand. Energy Policy, 37(9), 3438-3447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2008.10.046
Scheyvens, R., Banks, G., and Hughes, E. (2016) The Private Sector and the SDGs: The Need to Move Beyond ‘Business as Usual’. Sust. Dev., 24: 371– 382. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1623 .

Relevant media coverage

Airport expansion does not boost UK growth or productivity – report. Guardian (17 July 2023). Read it here.
Dutch government wins legal case to cut flights at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport. Simple Flying (8 July 2023). Read it here.
Tighter limit on industrial, power and aviation emissions from 2024. The Independent (3 July 2023). Read it here.
France bans short-haul flights to cut carbon emissions. BBC News (23 May 2023). Read it here.
Adverts claiming products are carbon neutral by using offsetting face UK ban. The Guardian (15 May 2023). Read it here.
Greenwashing era is over, say ad agencies, as regulators get tough. The Guardian (15 May 2032). Read it here.
Government shrinks its carbon footprint by flying less. Stuff (12 May 2023). Read it here.
Lobbyists in New Zealand enjoy freedoms unlike most other nations in the developed world. Radio NZ (25 March 2023). Read it here.
Dutch city bans advertising for airlines and fossil fuels to tackle climate change. NZ Herald (9 September 2022). Read it here.

Access research topics here:

Back to Research Index home page (click here)
The big picture – the challenge of climate change and aviation emissions (click here)
Aotearoa’s tourism sector grapples with sustainability (click here)
The aviation industry’s biggest challenge (click here)
“Low carbon aviation”: aviation efficiency and technology myths (click here)
Aviation: moral arguments and climate equity (click here)
Policy considerations to reduce carbon emissions (click here)
Infrastructure trajectories with positive long term outcomes (click here)
Behavioural and attitudinal change to reduce emissions (click here)
Economic consequences of (in)action on climate change (click here)

Suggest amendments

If you believe anything needs amending, updating or adding in to the index, please email us here.