Estimation of the Carbon Footprint of the Municipality of Leticia – Amazonas (Colombia) and Design of a Management Proposal for the Main Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Abstract

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that average global surface temperatures will increase between 1.8°C – 4.0°C by 2100 (UNWTO, 2008, p.4). The UNWTO recognizes that the tourism and travel sector must adapt to climate change and to the changes that will occur in the immediate future, to ensure that individuals, communities, and nations continue to receive the benefits of tourism, including sustainable development in the least developed countries. This is the case of the city of Leticia, located at the southernmost tip of Colombia, on the banks of the Amazon River, and serving as the capital of the department, where tourism is the main economic activity.

To calculate the Carbon Footprint of Leticia—an indicator that measures, through an inventory, the production of greenhouse gases (GHG) generated by various activities such as people, businesses, events, gastronomy, etc.—a widely used methodology for this purpose was adapted: the GHG Protocol.

Through this methodology, the total amount of CO2 tons emitted into the atmosphere by the city of Leticia was determined, as well as the amount of pollution attributable to what has been called the “Sustainable Tourist Destination,” the area of the city with the highest concentration of hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions. The aim was to propose management measures for GHG from the main emission sources and thus contribute to the sustainable development of tourism and the city.