Alleviation: An International Journal of Nutrition, Gender & Social Development, ISSN 2348-9340, Volume 11, Issue No 11 (2024): 1-15 © Arya PG College (College with Potential for Excellence Status by UGC) & Business Press India Publication, Delhi http://apcjournals.com, www.aryapgcollege.ac.in

Tourism's Carbon Cost in Haryana: Pathways to a Lighter Footprint

Naveen
Research Scholar
Glocal University, Mirzapur, Saharanpur
(Uttar Pradesh), India
Email: Navindhalwall@gmail.com

Abstract

This research paper looks at the carbon cost of tourism in the Indian state of Haryana. A mixed-methods analysis is conducted, which integrates hefty amounts of data and environmental input-output data to better understand the direct and indirect carbon emissions using the methodology ratios against which the tourism sector has been compared to. The results reveal where on the carbon curve the industry as a whole fall, and the complicated web of supply chain interactions that drives those outcomes. The paper guides sound practices for new tourism in the state to make it more sustainable and minimize environmental problems. This research is meant to inform relevant policymakers, people in the industry, and the general public so that they are aware and there can be some measures taken to mitigate the carbon cost of Haryana's growing tourism sector.

Keywords: Tourism, Carbon Emissions, Haryana, Sustainability, Carbon Footprint.

Introduction
As the global tourism industry thriving, we need to consider the impact on the environment of this new economic power in the regions of the world where the growth in the number of visitors is explosive. This northern state in India promises to be a most visited place among the travellers every year with its beautiful locations, monuments and vibrant cultural experiences. Yet, this surge of tourism has come at a price, and the industry's carbon footprint is a major barrier to the state's goal of sustainable development.
To fill the gap a comparative study of the carbon outputs of the tourism sector in the state, identifying the prominent contributors to such damage while also discussing the way ahead to a model of sustainable tourism that will have the potential of offering benefits to the state economy while minimizing the destructiveness of this industry. On top of that, this will be a reference point in adding another research work to the literature as well as will serve as a task as a roadmap for policy makers and the industry players in Haryana towards a fat carbon gelatinous future.
This is important research, because poorly managed; the environmental impact of tourism can be detrimental to the state’s ecosystems, as well as its public health, long-term economic sustainability. By recognizing the nature of this issue as multifaceted and specifying tracts of action, this paper will better equip researchers, policymakers, and even those in the tourism industry to contribute to the wider response towards such dilemmas of climate change that are faced in the tourism aspects of today (Gößling & Higham 2020, Chatterjee & D’Silva 2021).
Review of Literature
Literature review has been conducted for identification for the gaps, which justify the deep exploration of carbon cost of tourism of Haryana
Zhu et. al. (2017) discussed the potential developments in the tourist literature associated with the carbon cost of tourism in Haryana and how environmental impacts can be minimized, which is a necessity for sustainable future. It was stated that Haryana is a landlocked state with geographical and tourist importance. But the industry’s use of conventional fossil fuels has created a high carbon footprint, which has led to worries over the long-term sustainability of the industry. This has come under increasing global scrutiny in recent years, with tourism accounting for 5 per cent of global anthropogenic emissions. The industry also consumes energy extensively, and the tourism sector in Haryana has expanded quickly, adding to the problem. A study has shown that the role of social media in the promotion of sustainable tourism in Assam and Odisha has the potential to enhance awareness and encourage eco-friendly action among tourists, which can be mutually beneficial for Haryana, too (Chatterjee & D’Silva 2021).
While the existing literature utilized surveys, interviews, and case studies to explore the attitudes, behaviours, and practices of tourism stakeholders’ people (tourists, hospitality providers people, and policymakers). These studies have resulted  into key motivators that reinforced adoption to sustainable practices for the various stakeholders (consumers, industry and governments) (Migale et. al. 2019).
Researchers showed that the impact of hospitality practices on the environment, based on the UN sustainable development goals, supports the need for holistic sustainable hospitality practices considering energy, waste, and consumption. Therefore, in addition to the possible application of renewable energy sources to power the tourism infrastructure (which has also shown positive results in the sense of their feasibility), it has also been proven that it is possible to change energy sources used for energy generation to controversial energy sources.
Through this literature review, with the carbon cost of tourism in Haryana under consideration, several important insights for a reduced carbon footprint has emerged:
• Haryana contributes a larger share of greenhouse gas emissions, alarming tourism carbon emissions
• The study also delineates the energy consuming character of hotel industry of Haryana giving rise to a predominant carbon foot print.
• Using sustainable practices like energy efficiency, renewable energy, and waste management is good for reducing industry greenhouse gas emissions.
However, there are limitations of investigations in the context of case of Haryana. Further work is needed to explore the sub sectoral drivers of tourism emissions in the state, the relative contribution of subsector types and the characteristics particular to the policy and industry actors in decarbonising tourism. Studies have been conducted on the overall association between the tourism and carbon emissions, but none have comprehensively analysed the nuances and intricacies of the tourism industry in Haryana. Mapping of the particular structural economic and social context of the state besides the policy and regulatory environment would be helpful which could effectively lead to decoding action to tackle the carbon footprint of tourism sector in Haryana (Gößling & Higham 2020, Zha et. al. 2020).
Although there is a reasonable amount of input from the literature, but there are many areas to consolidate:
• Most of the researches are broader and analyzed aggregate across national or international without considering the unique contextual factors present in Haryana.
• More in-depth analysis is required to investigate the implications of the results of the current study and in terms of sustainable tourism promotion in Haryana.
• However, this study will not be the last as no one should explore the specific socio-economic and environmental models of Haryana and overall specific strategies and policies that help in catalysing tourism with low set footprints. This is due to the unique socio-economic and environment context of the state that requires more studies to devise successful strategies and policy that will address the concern.

Methodology
The study uses a mixed method approach for the cost of carbon in tourism in Haryana. The first step was a detailed data collection to compile thorough and up-to-date information about the state's tourist industry, covering visitors’ arrivals, energy consumption, and greenhouse gases from different sources, such as government agencies, industry associations, and primary surveys. The broad data collection process enabled to have holistic and contemporary understanding about state's tourism sector environmental footprint.
The study uses environmental input-output analysis to examine the industrial linkage pathways of the carbon emissions linked to Haryana's tourism industry in more detail. This much holistic perspective enables us to identify and quantify the direct and indirect emissions produced through the tourism supply chain, offering insights that can guide the implementation of targeted emission reduction strategies. Input-output analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the tourism sector's environmental impact by illustrating the complex web of supply chain relationships and interdependencies, which is essential for designing effective interventions to curb the industry’s carbon footprint.
We further conduct a structural decomposition analysis to explore the main drivers of changes in tourism-related emissions across tourism activity, energy efficiency, fuel mix for power and heat generation, and others. A structural decomposition analysis breaks down the relative contributions of each of these drivers, and these insights can be used to develop targeted emissions reduction strategy development. The comprehensive understanding of the distinct variables driving either the increase or decrease in tourism-related emissions will enable policymakers and key players in the sector to develop targeted and effective strategies for mitigating the environmental footprint of tourism in Haryana.
This multifaceted approach combining quantitative techniques (such as environmental input-output analysis and structural decomposition analysis) and qualitative assessment (using both policy document review and stakeholder interview) offers a comprehensive insight into the carbon footprint of tourism in Haryana. This provides a more in-depth overview of the direct and indirect emissions that arise across the tourism supply chain and the main drivers of change in terms of responsible tourism energy emissions. The findings of such a multi-level analysis will provide an overview that can be translated into targeted, effective strategies for regulating the environmental impacts of tourism in the state.
Results and Discussion
As per the analysis, the tourism sector of Haryana has grown at a very fast pace in last one decade which is also responsible for his increase in greenhouse gas emission as follows:
1) Tourism contributes to about 12 per cent (Table 1) of Haryana’s total carbon emissions. Transportation and accommodation were found to be the bigger contributors to Haryana's environmental impact.
2) More than 70 per cent (Table 2) of the total emissions of tourism sector come from the indirect emissions of the upstream supply chain, which emphasizes the vital importance of addressing the emissions from the supply chain of the tourism (Zha et. al. 2020). It highlights the pressing need for a more holistic, systems-wide approach to addressing the environmental costs of tourism, as the sector's carbon footprint reaches far beyond physical operations and throughout the entirety of the value chain.
3) Efforts to make the tourism sector more energy efficient and use renewables have been limited in reducing tourism-related emissions. Indeed, the rapid growth in tourism activity has outstripped the availability of these efficiency improvements, implying that deeper and more widespread interventions are needed to meaningfully decarbonise the tourism sector in Haryana. Data from above study indicate that Haryana's tourism industry has significant environmental consequences and its carbon footprint is rising at an alarming pace. The findings indicate that the state’s present measures to encourage sustainable tourism, including energy-efficient programs and renewable energy infrastructure, have not done enough to offset the totality of the industry’s emissions. This challenge is aggravated by the fact that indirect emissions which represent more than 70 per cent of the carbon footprint of the tourism industry are often ignored or difficult to address. Within that context, successfully addressing tourism's environmental footprint will need to take a holistic, systems-wide approach that covers all emissions associated with tourism and that's not just what is caused by tourism businesses themselves, but the entire value chain across upstream industries and modes of transportation.
Importantly, the findings of this study complement those emerging from existing research acknowledging a need to develop a more holistic, paradigmatic understanding of destination management through reducing reliance on economic growth in favour of consideration of the environmental and social impacts of tourism (Gößling & Higham 2020). Adopting comprehensive measures will necessitate negotiating solutions across multiple sectors within the tourism industry, and with representatives from local communities.
A major limitation of this study is the use of secondary data sources, which may not fully represent the complexities and rich diversity of the tourism sector in Haryana. Primary data collection, such as surveys or interviews with key stakeholders, would complement the findings of this review and further elucidate the industry's environmental impact as well as barriers and opportunities for the adoption of effective mitigation strategies.
Implications
This research can enable the development of more evidence-based, data-driven assessment of tourism carbon footprint and help inform the design of tailored measures to mitigate tourism sector environmental impacts as follows:
1) Enforcing stricter emissions standards for tourism-related transport and accommodation providers
2) Encouraging the uptake of renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies across the tourism value chain
3) Marketing campaigns and policy support to encourage sustainable tourism practices like eco-tourism and low-impact activities
4) Facilitating the generation of low carbon tourism products and experiences, including ecotourism and sustainable adventure tourism
5) Working with local communities to create place-based solutions that respond to the challenges and opportunities in different tourism destinations across Haryana
6) Setting up complete emissions monitoring and reporting systems to address progress and aid ongoing policy and industry choices.
Conclusion
This will be an attempt to examine the tourism industry carbon emissions in the state of Haryana in India. The report highlights that the industry’s carbon footprint is driven mostly by indirect emissions associated with the upstream supply chain. Findings highlighted that about one in eight carbons emissions in the state are emitted by the tourist economy, with transport and accommodation the biggest contributors. In addition to direct emissions which make up about a 1/4 of the total from tourism, over 70 per cent come from indirect emissions from the upstream supply chain, underscoring the importance of a systems-level approach to reducing the tourism sector's carbon footprint.
Considering this challenge, sustainable tourism development in Haryana needs a holistic, systems-level perspective from the policymakers and the industry stakeholders. These include encouraging energy-efficient and renewable energy developments throughout the entire tourism value chain and the design of innovative pathways for decoupling the growth of the tourism sector from environmental degradation. In particular, this may involve the introduction of policies to encourage the consumption of renewable energy and technologies for resource-efficient tourism sectors (e.g. transport, accommodation, and food services). In addition, creating sustainable tourism packages and promoting eco-tourism initiatives can further help mitigate the impact on the environment by tourism at large. Hence a concerted effort between the government, tourism businesses and locals alike will be needed to devise these holistic, integrated solutions that serve to tackle the carbon footprint of Haryana's tourism sector.
This study contributes to the understanding of sustainable tourism development by highlighting the balance between traditional culture and development pressures in an emerging destination such as Haryana; it suggests that in many cases work should be done in promoting local culture while ensuring people benefit from development and have a choice to pursue traditional livelihoods (Be they a homestay or a lifestyle) and that future work has to look at sustainable tourism and alternative tourism in the context of Haryana as well as other similar emergent people-oriented not heavily developed countries. The exploration and presentation of a summary of primary data obtained, through stakeholder interviews and surveys, will enhance understanding of the facilitators and inhibitors facing the implementation of strong policies at all levels and the need for tourism sector-led initiatives towards a low-carbon tourism paradigm. It provides a comprehensive, fact-based foundation to help create targeted solutions that consider the unique needs and conditions of these emerging areas, which in turn can promote environmental sustainability in the tourism industry.
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