Realistic measure or simple fantasy? Jean-Marc Jancovici is used to recommendations that cause controversy, sometimes on purpose. On May 30, at prime time in the morning of France Inter, the cantor of nuclear power and pragmatic ecology has struck again, advocating once again to establish a maximum quota, per individual, of four plane trips for… a lifetime. An extreme compromise with major economic consequences for multiple sectors, including tourism.
This is not the first time that the founder of the consulting firm Carbone 4 and president of the think tank The Shift Project has put this proposal on the table. And each time, banco, media and social networks relay it in a loop. Especially since this speech contrasts with the insolent recovery of aviation: according to the latest forecasts from the International Air Transport Association, traffic should flirt this year with the record of 2019. 4.35 billion passengers are expected, compared to 4.54 billion before the pandemic. Responsible for approximately 3% of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, the plane finds itself at the forefront of the fight against global warming. So, inevitably, calls for the decarbonization of tourism are increasing.
Platforms to organize a trip with less emissions
“Today the majority of travel emissions are based on car and plane travel. If we want to decarbonize this sector, we have to find other ways of getting around”, justifies Béatrice Jarrige, economist and project manager. “long-distance mobility” within the Shift Project, which participated in the “Low carbon travel” study, carried out in April 2022. Proposal of packs including a bicycle trip in France, train routes to discover European capitals, even transatlantic crossing on a sailboat… Surfing on the speeches of the think tank chaired by Jean-Marc Jancovici, and seeking to satisfy a new demand that is more respectful of the environment, many players are embarking on the zero-emission travel segment.
With this in mind, Alisée Pierrot set up a few months ago, with two partners, the Mollow platform, dedicated to facilitating carbon-free travel. Organized as an association, the young team had the idea of offering a site allowing travelers to compose their journey without plane or car according to their desires – mountain, countryside, feet in the water – and the time available. The itinerary is detailed, with links to the ticket offices of the companies, as well as an estimate of the price and the carbon footprint of the trip. “There is a strong interest in these solutions, since the opening of the platform three months ago we have counted more than 120,000 visitors”, rejoices the co-founder. Same observation at TicTacTrip, a site that offers an interface to book on the same platform the different intermodality solutions (train, bus and carpooling). “We can promote low-carbon travel, while opening up our territory”, assures its founder, Hugo Bazin.
France, an ideal territory?
For low-carbon travel, France could even be the ideal territory. Equipped with one of the best rail networks in the world, it has a major advantage, while the environmental footprint of the train is much lower than the alternative modes. According to Ademe calculations, per person and per kilometre, rail pollutes eight times less than cars and 14 times less than planes. The TGV is three times less emitting than a conventional train. However, while nearly 90% of French trips are made within the metropolis, according to the Shift Project, more than 70% are made by car. “It is still difficult to do without it for family travel, for example. The flexibility it offers remains incomparable today compared to the train. This is why we are campaigning for the development of transport solutions. local transport such as cycling, the rental of sober electric vehicles, or an increase in the public transport offer”, underlines Béatrice Jarrige.
Beyond our borders, low-carbon travel in Europe remains feasible, provided you have time. Technically, it is possible to reach any area in Europe via rail, including the far north of Sweden or Istanbul. The Interrail pass even allows unlimited travel on the European network and its 33 countries for a given period, ranging from one to three months. Apart from this proven solution, but with very tight conditions (prices, booking options, flexibility), planning a trip crossing more than one border can quickly turn into a hassle. The impossibility of centralizing the purchase of tickets, the few cross-border trains, or the multitude of connections and their hassles, are all obstacles for travelers who hesitate with the plane. To reach Athens from Paris, for example, it will take four stopovers and three days of travel, including in particular 10 hours by night train and ten more by ferry between Italy and Greece. All for an amount estimated by Mollow at 224 euros… for a one-way ticket.
To escape outside of Europe, the journey without a plane looks above all like an expensive and long-term adventure. “There is a part of the public who thinks it is possible to go far, even very far, if you take the time, justifies Alisée Pierrot. On our site, we wanted to add the itinerary of a person who went in Bali without a plane. It’s not the core of our business of course, but we wanted to show that it is possible.” Apart from these travelers in no hurry and ready for all tribulations, the plane remains the preferred means of transport to reach other continents… and the most polluting. Because, although these long-distance trips are much lower in volume, their ecological cost is comparable to that of short-distance trips, underlines the Shift Project, which invites to gradually limit long-haul flights.
Tour operators dependent on zero-carbon aircraft
Especially since the zero carbon plane is not about to land on the tarmacs. Whether hydrogen or electric, we will have to wait at least fifteen years before seeing the first prototypes fly. “Today the weight of batteries in aviation is not favorable and research is not sufficiently advanced to be able to transform airline devices”, assures Didier Bréchemier, sector specialist at Roland Berger. . Efforts are therefore concentrated on the engines and movements of aircraft on the ground. “Airlines are forced to reduce their emissions and regulatory standards on the use of less emitting fuels are being put in place, but given their cost, a question arises: will passengers be willing to pay more to fly in a greener plane?” asks Paul Chiambaretto, professor at Montpellier Business School and director of the Pégase chair on the decarbonization of the sector.
The question is central, because at the moment tour operators depend very heavily on this mode of transport. Their death was announced after the pandemic, they resurface. Large groups such as SMEs in the sector remain major players in tourism. But in the face of climate change, most find themselves bound hand and foot to technological developments in the aviation sector. “For the moment, we do not have the aeronautical capacities to offer a sustainable model”, regrets Alain de Mendonça, general manager of Fram-Promovacances. Same observation on the side of Voyageurs du monde. “We are facing a dilemma: to respect the objectives of the Paris Agreement, and to decarbonize travel, but it is up to the industry to reduce aircraft emissions,” said Jean-François Rial, director general of the travel agency.
Carbon offsetting as a tool
To offset the emissions of the flights on which they send their customers, more and more tour operators are opting for another solution: carbon offsetting. The Syndicat des Entreprises du Tour Operating has just launched Setosphere, an endowment fund intended to invest in reforestation. For the year 2023, 24 tour operators have made a commitment for a total amount of 1.1 million euros. On their small scale, some independents are trying to do this.
This is the case of Tirawa, an agency located near Chambéry, which offers trips for small groups of 4 to 10 people to around forty destinations. This year, it will offset 100% of its emissions via the Setosphere fund for an amount of 40,000 euros. “Sustainable travel also means making a minimum of stopovers and a maximum of direct flights, and thinking of land tours in small groups, or even tailor-made travel to avoid large groups”, lists its director Muriel Faure. A way out of mass tourism. “It is necessary that the stays be longer, if possible, and to accept that we consume less, but better, because mass tourism is no longer viable”, underlines Sylvain Petit, lecturer in economics at the Hauts-de-France polytechnic university and specialist in the sector.
Traveling without emitting CO2 will above all require taking the time. Going far away, but over a longer period, would cushion the negative effects of a plane flight, and train journeys would require taking more time off than usual. To respond to this problem, a shared office company, Ubiq, goes so far as to offer its employees two days of “responsible travel time” per year so that they favor low-carbon travel. An initiative still isolated but which could, in the long term, make its way.