Publish at May 19 2015 Updated April 23 2026
Ghislain Dubois became involved in the question of the relationship between tourism and climate change at a very early stage, starting his research at the end of 1990.
His doctoral thesis, presented in the form of a reasoned compilation of works, traces the methodological, epistemological and prospective developments in this field of research, which was virtually born before his very eyes.
(...) environmental criticism of this activity has long been confined to the most visible effects of tourism ("landscape-devouring" tourism), with two characteristics:
- a focus solely on the local impacts of tourism, in the destination ;
- a strong emphasis on symbols and images (tourism "stealing" water from locals, golf as a display of shocking luxury), with the assertion of principled positions often detrimental to a reasoned analysis of impacts (quote page 8).
Environmental criticism of tourism was sometimes coupled with neo-colonialist criticism: tourists were accused of "deflowering" local populations, for example. It wasn't until the results of work led by the French Institute for the Environment (Ifen) that we had a complete diagnosis of the environmental impact of tourism in France. We are now in 20001. This report included the first estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from tourism-related road and air transport. It gave rise to a number of high-profile indicators, such as the greenhouse gas emissions generated by a family of 4 traveling from Paris to Nice by different modes of transport.
Leaving behind the univocal, reductive relationship, the report also highlights the two-way relationship between tourism and climate change. From impact, tourism becomes"a means of promoting a quality environment, and therefore a potential support for environmental policies" (quote p. 8). This positioning paves the way for new work in public policy evaluation and forecasting.
The 2000s were marked by two international conferences, one in Djerba in 2003 (Read the declaration, PDF) and the other in Davos in 2007 (Read the declaration, PDF)."This report provides a comprehensive overview of the relationship between tourism and climate change, which is still largely valid today." (quote p. 12). In fact, this report produced the first estimate of greenhouse gas emissions generated by tourism, i.e. 5% of global emissions. And a 30-year projection foresaw a doubling, with air transport inevitably set to explode worldwide.
Even before they feel or experience the impact of climate change, populations have to adapt to the policies put in place to mitigate the effects of global warming.
Given the growing weight of transport, and air transport in particular, in global emissions, any serious climate policy will have to act on tourist transport (capacity limitation, taxation), with in any case a major impact on the distribution of tourist flows and the competitiveness of destinations. (quote p. 17)
The first scientific work on Slow tourism2 was published in 2012. Ghislain Dubois launched the idea back in 2008 in the columns of the newspaper Le Monde3. Today, the sector is beginning to take shape in the same way as the Slow Food movement : "firstly, with the aim of reinventing business tourism through the construction of low-carbon offers that give destinations a truly competitive edge. (...) secondly, with work on adapting the world of travel (travel agencies) to this issue, here too by developing multi-criteria optimization methods (price, travel time, efficient time, carbon footprint). This idea, first developed in 2007 in a research seminar, has since been the subject of several funding searches" (quote p. 21).
It's worth repeating that scientific work on the links between tourism and climate change is not new (1990s), but the commitment of politicians and players in the sector is more recent (mid-2000s). As a consultant, Ghislain Dubois has been able to observe these developments in situ , responding to national or local public commissions from Tunisia, the Poitou-Charente and Wallonia regions, and elsewhere.
His latest work focuses on tourists' perceptions of the climate, combining quantitative and qualitative surveys4. With his consulting firm, he participates in the Hope research project and runs workshops on sustainable tourism, most recently in Tahiti.
References
1 Ifen, Tourisme, environnement, territoires : les indicateurs, 2000
2 Fullagar S. et alii, Slow tourism. Experiences and Mobilities, Channel view publication, 2012
3 Dubois G. "Il est temps de revenir au tourisme lent", front-page interview in Le Monde, February 2008
4 Ceron J.P, Dubois G. and Gossling S., Climate perceptions and preferences of french tourists: lessons for climate change impact assessment, 2012
Find out more about Ghislain Dubois
You might also like:
Sol France an inspiring association towards the learning organization
Sol International and Sol France, a focus for reflection and practice on the learning organization
The great digital access game: a thrilling obstacle course
Accessing the services of digital platforms is like an obstacle course. Understanding a logic, a vocabulary, having the right equipment, recent versions, and remembering passwords often created quickly... At each difficulty, some percentages of people are left on the side,... A panorama of the grains of sand that can block everything, and a board game as a bonus!
Between effort and lack of effort, there's a whole list of parameters to consider before judging others.
A person who rents himself out to do nothing raises questions about society, work, relationships, and social media
Languages to boost your career
How can you give your CV a second wind? By adding language skills, of course! It's the best way to increase your salary, to travel, but also to develop your career. Here's a quick overview of the most sought-after languages and the countries that are looking for French speakers.
