Thiruvananthapuram: Equations, a non-profit organisation established for the promotion of holistic tourism, has called for formulating international and domestic environment and tourism policies and regulatory mechanisms to adapt and mitigate climate change impacts.

In a statement here on the occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity, Equations urged the Government to take serious and urgent steps to implement the conventions, protocols and resolutions related to climate change.

Climate represents a key resource for tourism and climate-related risks in the form of changing weather patterns and extreme conditions can have a serious impact on travel patterns.

On the other hand, the tourism industry itself is a contributor to climate change by generating greenhouse gas emissions through consumption of transport services, notably road and air transport, and high levels of energy consumption such as air-conditioning, heating and lighting in tourism establishments, the statement said

Biggest threat

It said the aviation industry is the biggest threat as the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases at a rate of five per cent a year and contributing to three per cent of global emissions.

Air travel, particularly long haul international flights emitting greenhouse gases at high cruising altitudes, adds substantially to climate change effects.

The tourism industry is `notorious' for high per capita consumption of water, poor energy efficiency, waste management issues and serious negative environmental impacts.

The industry should implement measures to reduce energy consumption in tourism establishments by adopting energy-efficient and appropriate green technologies, it said.

This may require a significant transformation of current forms of mass tourism.

The statement called for a serious engagement on this issue to reduce tourism's climate change.