What is the carbon footprint of a ski holiday?
Skiing & snowboarding holidays are an amazing way to be outdoors and connect with nature, but they can have a high carbon emissions impact. This article breaks down the carbon footprint of a typical ski holiday and the key contributors.
What is a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is a calculation of the total greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide and methane) generated by our actions. It is often calculated at an individual level, for example the average carbon footprint for a person from the UK, but can also be applied to certain activities like taking a long haul flight or going on a one-week ski holiday.
It is measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions (kg/CO2e).
What is the carbon footprint of a one-week ski holiday?
A typical one-week ski holiday produces 416 kg/CO2e of emissions. This is based on someone travelling to Europe from the UK via plane to go skiing.
How significant is this?
The average annual carbon footprint for a person in the UK is 10,000 kg/CO2e (10 tonnes), or 192 kg/CO2e per week. This means a one-week ski holiday produces over double the emissions of a standard week.
What are the biggest contributors to emissions?
Transport to-and-from the resort is by far the largest contributor to emissions. Flying produces 66% of emissions for the trip. This represents the biggest opportunity to reduce the climate impact of your holiday by using alternative transport options like train.
After travel, equipment (12%), communal resort infrastructure (11%) such as ski lifts, ski groomers and snow machines, and food (6%) are the next largest contributors.
What can I do to reduce my emissions?
Check out my article on how to be a more sustainable skier for tips on how to reduce the emissions impact of your skiing.
