For all the promises to transition to a low-carbon economy, the greenhouse gases created by New Zealand's international tourism explosion threaten to undo any good work reducing the country's carbon footprint. The best guess of the climate cost of international tourism to New Zealand is by physicists at Otago University. However, tourism can have environmental benefits, such as providing motivation to fight wildlife poaching in Africa, so she's wary of decrying international tourism altogether. Tourism Industry Association chief executive Chris Roberts does not accept that international tourism is unsustainable. If New Zealand ended international tourism, half the country's tourism businesses would disappear, with the loss of about 150,000 jobs, Roberts estimates.

Source: Stuff April 04, 2019 16:01 UTC