The Realities (and Delusions) of Environmentally-Friendly Travel

Let's get this out of the way: The greenest way to travel is not to. Spare the jet fuel, the cruise waste, the gas-guzzling rental car. Just stay home and recycle. Clearly that's not going to happen—nor should it. Tourism produces 5 percent of the world's carbon emissions, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, and contributes to the depletion of natural resources, the degradation of ecosystems, and the proliferation of the waste found from shorelines to trekking trails.