Prince Harry Can’t Make Your Holiday Green

Britain’s Prince Harry is urging tourists to be more eco-friendly — while at the same time flitting across Europe by private jet. It’s hardly the only contradiction in the travel industry’s drive to become more sustainable.

The world’s largest hotel chains house as many people each day as a decent-sized city, making them a big source of pollution and waste. Directly, hotels account for about 1% of global carbon-dioxide emissions — although that estimate doesn’t include the hydrocarbon-burning flights and car journeys guests make as they come and go. All-in, tourism’s contribution to man-made emissions could be as much as 8% of the total.