Introduction to Sustainability

for Leisure & Tourism

Learning Outcomes
• Define sustainability
• Comprehend the basis of the socio-ecological system
• Comprehend the four root causes of unsustainability
• Be familiar with the ecological footprint, biocapacity and ecological deficits versus reserves
• Be able to apply the triple bottom line and recognize the stronger ecological bottom line model
• Reflect on impacts of leisure and tourism activities on sustainability

© James Cook University BX2091:03 Tourism

& Leisure Management
 What is Sustainability?

Week 1 – Definition:

© James Cook University BX2091:03 Tourism &

Leisure Management
 Sustainable Development

“ Sustainable development is development that

meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.”
Brundtland Report, 1987: p.43

© James Cook University BX2091:03 Tourism &

Leisure Management
What is the Brundtland Report?
• Our Common Future, also known as the
Brundtland Report, was published in 1987.
– United Nations World Commission on Environment and
Development (WCED)
• Our Common Future aimed to:
– discuss the environment and development as one
single issue;
– strengthen international cooperation around this issue;
– raise the level of understanding and commitment to
action on the part of individuals, voluntary
organisations, businesses, institutes, and governments
4
 How to operationalise that?
• Several scientific groups have worked to operationalize
sustainability.
• From Sweden in 1989 “The Natural Step” was formed, led
by scientist Karl-Henrik Robèrt.
– It set out the system conditions for the sustainability of human
activities on Earth
– Derived from a scientific understanding of universal laws and
the aspects of our socio-ecological system.
Including the 
• laws of gravity,
• the laws of thermodynamics,  http://www.thenaturalstep.org/

• and a multitude of social studies including Human Needs

5
Summary – Socio-Ecological System
SustainabilityIllustrated.com (Mar 2015).
Sustainability explained with simple natural
science (new 2015) [video file]. Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eec0UYGIeo4
Our Socio-Ecological system
consists of Natural cycles:
Biosphere (Quick biological cycles)
• Layer where life is possible for
society
• Closed with respect to matter
• Open with respect to energy
• Entropy disperses matter (2nd law
thermodynamics)
• Photosynthesis (restructures matter)
Lithosphere (slow geological cycles)
6
4 Root Causes of Unsustainability
1. Relatively large flow from the
Earth’s crust
2. Accumulation of substances
created by society
3. Physically inhibit nature’s
ability to run cycles
4. Barriers to people
meeting basic human
needs worldwide
7
The Character of our Unsustainability

Presently,
1. Humanity utilizes more resources than the
earth can provide, and
2. Global consumption of those resources is
unevenly distributed
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 8
Ecologically Sustainable Development
(ESD)
• Using, conserving and enhancing the community’s
resources so that ecological processes, on which life
depends, are maintained and the total quality of
life, now and in the future, can be increased.
(Commonwealth Government of Australia, 1990)
(National Ecologically Sustainable Development Strategy, 1992)

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 9
 Ecological Footprint
• Tool to assess our pressure on the planet.
• The Ecological Footprint is a metric that measures
how much nature we have and how much nature
we use:
– the demand on and supply of nature.

• The Footprint helps:

10
 Demand On Nature
• Measures the ecological assets that a given population
requires in order to produce the natural resources it
consumes including:
– plant-based food and fiber products,
– livestock and fish products,
– timber and other forest products,
– space for urban infrastructure
– and to absorb its waste, especially carbon emissions.
• Tracks the use of six categories of productive surface
areas:
– cropland, grazing land, fishing grounds, built-up land, forest
area, and carbon demand on land.
11
 Supply of Nature
• On the supply side, a city, state or
nation’s biocapacity represents
the productivity of its ecological
assets including:
– cropland, grazing land, forest land,
fishing grounds, and built-up land.

• These areas, especially if left unharvested, can also

absorb much of the waste we generate, especially
our carbon emissions.
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 12
 Global Hectares
• Both the Ecological Footprint and biocapacity are
expressed in global hectares
– globally comparable, standardized hectares with world
average productivity.
• Each city, state or nation’s Ecological Footprint can
be compared to its biocapacity.

13
Source: http://www.footprintnetwork.org
14
 Ecological Deficit vs Reserve
• If a population’s Ecological Footprint exceeds the
region’s biocapacity, that region runs an ecological
deficit.
• A region in ecological deficit meets demand by
– importing,
– liquidating its own ecological assets (such as overfishing),
– emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

• If a region’s biocapacity exceeds its Ecological

Footprint, it has an ecological reserve.

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 15
How’s Earth’s Footprint Looking?
• In 2016 we consumed 1.6 planets worth of
resources.
– That is, it will take more than 1 ½ years to regenerate
what we used in that year.
– Eating into our ecological capital = ecological
bankruptcy
• Only 17% of the population consumed 80% of the
resources.
How and why is this
statistic a problem for
global society?

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 16
Overstepping Ourselves

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 17
 Earth Overshoot Day
Every year…
• The Global Footprint Network
calculates the number of days
of that year that Earth’s
biocapacity suffices to provide
for humanity’s Ecological
Footprint.
• http://www.overshootday.org/
Earth Planet’s Biocapacity
Overshoot = x 365
Humanity’s Ecological Footprint
Day
18
National Footprint Accounts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T5M3MiPfW4

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 19
World Creditors vs Debtors

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 20
 Footprints Per Capita

• The average human's • Australia’s per capita

Ecological Footprint is 2.8 footprint?
global hectares.
• There are only 1.7
hectares of biologically
productive area per
9.3 Hectares
person available on the
planet.

Source: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/content/documents/ecological_footprint_nations/ecological_per_capita.html

21
Country Rankings

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 22
23
Ecological –vs- Carbon Footprint
• An ecological footprint compares the total resources
people consume with the land and water area that is
needed to replace those resources.
• A carbon footprint also deals with resource usage but
focuses strictly on the greenhouse gases released due to
burning of fossil fuels.
– Greenhouse gas calculations make up a portion of an ecological
footprint (60% of global footprint), but these calculations are
not used in the same way as those in a carbon footprint.
– While both calculations illustrate the impact of human activity
on the environment, the carbon footprint focuses more on
contribution to climate change.
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 25
 Carbon Footprint
• A carbon footprint is historically defined as “the
total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by
an [individual/ event/ organisation/ product]”.
• It is expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent.
– Most of the carbon footprint emissions for the average
Australian household come from "indirect" sources, i.e.
fuel burned to produce goods far-away from the final
consumer.
– As distinguished from emissions which come from
burning fuel directly in one's car or heater.
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 26
 Australia’s Footprint

• Some Resources:
– http://www.environment.gov.au/node/22333
– https://
www.climatecouncil.org.au/new-report-reveals-that-au
stralia-is-among-the-worst-emitters-in-the-world
– Carbon Neutral – Personal Carbon Calculator
– https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 27
 Tourism CO2 Footprint
• While rising sea levels, desertification, deforestation,
coral bleaching and the melting of snow and glaciers
hurt the tourism economy, the sector also contributes
through its very existence to the warming process.
• Tourism is responsible for 5% of global CO2 emissions
– Transport Total – 75%
• Air transport alone – 40%
– Accommodation – 20%
– Attractions 3.5%

Source: http://sdt.unwto.org/content/faq-climate-change-and-tourism
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 28
 Events and Leisure Activities
Which events and leisure activities do you believe would
have large footprints?

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 29
 Some Recreation & Leisure Figures
• The UK analysed individual households and determined
that Recreation and Leisure accounted for 27% of the
footprint on average.

Source: http://resolve.sustainablelifestyles.ac.uk/sites/default/files/RESOLVE_WP_02-10.pdf

30
 Leisure & Sustainability
• Research from Norway on Leisure Trends and
sustainability showed the following findings:
– Total consumption of leisure products and services by
Norwegians has increased more than everyday consumption;
– The most energy-intensive leisure activities increased the most;
– Leisure activities have become more dependent on
transportation;
– Leisure activities are to an increasing extent based on more
material consumption; and
– Attitudes to leisure choices are “protective”.

Source: Aall et al (2011).

31
Home Leisure and Carbon Footprint

Carbon Trust (2016) Nation’s Fans have the lowest Carbon Footprint when watching games. Retrieved from: https://
www.carbontrust.com/news/2016/06/the-carbon-bootprint-of-euro-2016-which-nations-fans-have-the-lowest-carbon-footprint-when-watching-ga
mes
/
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 32
Olympics

Rio Olympics

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 33
So, how do we start fixing this?

How do we reduce our footprint and

halt our diminishing biocapacity
and become a sustainable society?

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 34
Triple Bottom Line – Business + Sustainability

• In 1997, John Elkington coined • These are sometimes referred

the phrase “Triple Bottom Line”. to as the three pillars of
• Methods by which companies sustainability.
measure value should include: • Concept has evolved into one
– Economic (Profit & Loss) that’s often depicted as 3
– Social (Benefits & Costs) overlapping circles:
– Environmental (Footprint)
• Businesses operate in these
Interdependent Systems
• Long term sustainability requires
more than just economic
prosperity, but it doesn’t
preclude financial success.
35
 Triple Bottom Line
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9WvCJ3oOL0

Riley, J. (2016 June). Corporate Social Responsibility: Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9WvCJ3oOL0
36
 Models and Language
3P Model:
People
Planet CSR: Corporate
Profit Social Responsibility

3 Pillars of
Sustainability Triple Bottom
Line

ESD: 3E Model:
Ecologically Equity
Sustainable Environment
Development Economy
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 37
Alternate “Stronger” Model

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 38
 Ecological Bottom Line
“… the ecological bottom-line: no ecosphere, no economy, no society.”

(Wackernagel & Rees,1996, p. 147)

© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 39
 Where’s governance in the model?
• Gap builds creative tension.
• Good governance supports
progress towards bridging
the gap
• Good governance shares
compelling vision
• Good governance will guide society,
businesses and planning
• Promoting an atmosphere that supports
continuous entrepreneurship and
innovation
• Supporting progress towards ecological
sustainability
ABCD Planning
t
e
A. A common language
Gap
n B. Baseline - Current Reality
s Between
i C. Compelling Vision - Future Reality &
o Future
n D. Decide on Priorities
40
Sustainable Prosperity: 4Ps
• Planet – Sustainable Ecosystems
– Individual, community, and ecosystems survival across lifespans and
generations.
• People – Equality and Quality of Life
– Quality of life for ALL people, e.g., health, vigour, wellbeing, flourishing.
• Profit – Competitive Productivity
– Competitive productivity in producing and distributing goods and services
for consumption and profit with scarce resources.
• Progress – Leadership for Adaptive Innovation
– Adaptive innovation – e.g., adaptive learning and change; trial and error
risk-taking and discovery.

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 41
United Nations (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Retrieved from: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 42
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLrLcODGMmo

United Nations Development Program (Nov 2016). Transitioning from the MDGs to the SDGs.
[video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLrLcODGMmo

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 43
So, back to this question…

• Triple and
Quadruple Bottom
Lines are
important, but
perhaps even
more critical is
MINDSET

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 44
 Sustainability = Profits
• 7 Benefits
– Reduced Energy
– Reduced Waste
– Reduced Materials
– Increased Productivity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoFlYOAgB2A – Reduced staff turnover
– Reduced Risks
Bob Willard’s research
– Increased Revenue
showed that when using • SMEs increased profits by 51%
existing best practices in in 3-5 years
sustainability approaches, • Large companies increased
companies could be more profits by 81% in 3-5 years
profitable. Source: http://sustainabilityadvantage.com
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 45
 Selling Sustainability
https://www.ted.com/talks/steve_howard_let_s_go_all_in_on_selling_sustainability

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 46
 The case for letting Business Solve
Social Problems
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_porter_why_business_can_be_good_at_solving_social_problems

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 47
 Sustainability in the
Leisure and Tourism Sector

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 48
 Leisure Sector Actions?
• Difficult to create a sector-
wide approach due to the
fragmented nature of
Leisure Business.
• Whilst many sporting
federations and events
have set emission
reduction goals, there
hasn’t been a sector-wide
approach yet.

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 49
 Tourism Sustainability is...
• Tourism does not exceed the environmental, social,
cultural or economic carrying capacity of a given
destination.
– Related environmental, sociocultural and economic costs
are minimized while related environmental, sociocultural
and economic benefits are maximized
• It is not ecologically harmful (ecology can bear the
demands)
• It is socio-culturally equitable
• It is financially viable
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 50
51
 Measuring sustainability in Tourism

• Setting goals is important, but measuring progress

is also important.
• The UNWTO have determined 12 Baseline Issues
for sustainability in tourism.
• Those issues should be monitored and measured
through a range of indicators.
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 52
 Baseline Issues - UNWTO
Suggested example indicators can be found in Table 11.2
1. Local satisfaction with 6. Energy Management
tourism 7. Water availability and
2. Effects of tourism on conservation
communities 8. Drinking water quality
3. Sustaining tourist 9. Sewage treatment (mgt. of
satisfaction wastewater)

4. Tourism seasonality 10. Solid waste management

(garbage; recycling)
5. Economic benefits of
tourism 11. Development control
See Table 11.2 in Weaver & Lawton (2014 pp. 324-5)
12. Controlling use intensity
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 53
 Sustainable Tourism
Problems with Indicators
• Discontinuities in time and space between cause and effect
• Long-term nature of sustainability vs. short-term nature of political
decision-making process
• Fuzzy boundaries of tourism - what stresses are tourism-related?
• What is the best combination of
indicators for a particular destination?
• Lack of knowledge about the benchmark
and threshold values that indicate
sustainability for a specific destination.
• Potential incompatibility between
environmental and social sustainability.
© James Cook University
BX2091:03 Tourism Management 54
 Australia and sustainability
• Australia’s natural and cultural assets are a major
drawcard for international visitors.
• Protection, conservation and management of these
assets is essential for the survival and sustainable
growth of the tourism industry over the longer term.

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 55
 Key Points
• The socio-ecological system has natural cycles that we need to be
able to operate within for ecologically sustainable development.
• Four root causes of unsustainability
• The ecological footprint, measured in global hectares, will be in
deficit if the footprint demands exceed a region’s biocapacity.
• Carbon footprints, measured in tonnes of CO2e, can be calculated
for an individual, event, or industry.
• Tourism, Leisure and Sport contribute significant proportions of CO2e
• The triple bottom line approach can actually lead to increased
profitability while reducing the footprint, but it requires a change
in mindset to get businesses to adopt a sustainable future vision.

© James Cook University

BX2091:03 Tourism Management 56