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As Tourism Brings In More Green, It's Not So Green For The Environment

Tourism accounts for about 8 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study.
Posted at 11:50 AM, May 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-08 11:50:50-04

Traveling is becoming more popular — but a new study says that might not be good for the environment.

The findings published Monday in Nature Climate Change say worldwide, from 2009 to 2013, tourism was responsible for four times more carbon emissions than previously thought. Researchers say that's about 8 percent of the Earth's greenhouse gas emissions.

The researchers considered ALL aspects of traveling — like transportation, shopping and food — as well as the "life cycle or supply chain emissions" of those products.

The study looked at a majority of the world's countries. Researchers found that travelers from the United States, China and Germany created the largest carbon footprint in 2013.