Golden Rule number 5: Reduce carbon emissions.
Traveling to French Polynesia comes with the responsibility of traveling sustainably and responsibly. One significant way to contribute is by minimizing your carbon footprint during your journey. Here are a few actionable tips on how to reduce your carbon emissions during your stay in French Polynesia.
1. Choose an electric vehicle for your rental car.
Opting for electric vehicles can significantly reduce CO2 emissions during your travels. (Xiao, Shi & Wang, 2010).
2. Turn off water while shampooing or while brushing teeth.
Conserving water can reduce energy used in water treatment and distribution, lowering CO2 emissions (Van Ewijk & Hoekman, 2020).
3. Refuse all single-use plastics.
Avoiding single-use plastics can dramatically reduce carbon emissions related to the production and disposal of these materials (Girod, Vuuren, & Deetman, 2012).
4. Use a fan instead of air conditioning.
While tempting to use the AC, the fan is a more sustainable option. Fans consume less energy than air conditioning units, leading to lower CO2 emissions (Bousema et al, 2020).
5. Use public transportation, walk, or cycle.
Walking or cycling over motorized transport for short distances is a great option to reduce CO2 emissions (Larsson et al., 2019). Public transportation is generally more energy-efficient and produces less CO2 per passenger compared to private vehicles (Tscharaktschiew & Hirte, 2010). Please note that this is particularly a great option for islands outside of Tahiti. Tahiti’s public transportation is a work in progress and is not currently the safest place to cycle. When you need to organize long distance travel, car-sharing or taking a bus or ferry are great ways to travel in the islands.
Are you committed to traveling sustainably to French Polynesia? Take Tahiti’s Golden Rules Pledge and join a community of like-minded global travelers. Stay tuned for more quick tips on traveling sustainably.
Sources
T. Bousema et al. "Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Academic Conferences: The Example of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene." The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 103 (2020): 1758 - 1761. https://www.ajtmh.org/view/journals/tpmd/103/5/article-p1758.xml
B. Girod et al. "Global travel within the 2°C climate target." Energy Policy, 45 (2012): 152-166. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421512001127
J. Larsson et al. "International and national climate policies for aviation: a review." Climate Policy, 19 (2019): 787 - 799. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2018.1562871
Stefan Tscharaktschiew et al. "The drawbacks and opportunities of carbon charges in metropolitan areas -- A spatial general equilibrium approach." Ecological Economics, 70 (2010): 339-357. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921800910003460
S. van Ewijk et al. "Emission reduction potentials for academic conference travel." Journal of Industrial Ecology, 25 (2020): 778 - 788. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jiec.13079
Tian Xiao et al. "Analysis on Influencing Factors for Carbon Emissions of Urban Passenger Transport." (2010): 2716-2728. https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/41127%28382%29289