Airshow this Weekend in Westfield Mass.

I wonder how many tons of carbon are dumped into our air this weekend.  Bring your O2!

The EPA reports "EPA Determines that Aircraft Emissions Contribute to Climate Change Endangering Public Health and the Environment."  Add to that the thousands of tourists driving into Whip City, the human impact is deadly.

Now, to be fair, the bulk of aviation is commercial traffic and not the War Games this weekend.

But just  yesterday our NOAA reports that 2016 was the hottest on record!!  Be patient seems everyone on the planet wants to read how we are destroying the planet.  From the report:

For more visuals from the report.


Need information about the airshow?  Otherwise steer clear of Interstate 90 and 91 this weekend.  If you must, use your Waze App or see MassDOT.

Paper accepted in Leisure/Loisir

Here is the abstract of our paper accepted in Leisure/Loisir.  Leisure / Loisir is the official publication of the Canadian Association for Leisure Studies/Association canadienne d’études en loisir ( CALS). While Leisure / Loisir is based in Canada and offers a primary outlet for individuals affiliated with Canadian institutions, the journal encourages international submissions.

Travel behaviour substitution for a white-water canoe race influenced by climate induced stream flow

Abstract
The World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization (UNWTO-UNEP-WMO, 2008) have identified one of the consequences of climate change is an interference of normal precipitation.  This research investigates the changes in travel patterns by participants and spectators at an annual canoe race as influenced by variable stream flow.   Given that stream flow varies seasonally, one might hypothesize that should a permanent reduction of water flow take place in the future, a decline or shift in water-based recreation might be expected.  Using data collected over two years at the Annual Westfield River Wildwater Races, interviews were conducted at the staging area as participants waited in the queue.  Observers of the race were also interviewed.   The two sampling years represent a low flow season and a normal flow season and yield a sample of 142 parties. During the low flow season, one that is projected to become the norm under climate change models, expert paddlers travelled a greater distance characteristic of destination substitutability while spectators decreased travel distance and this suggests a reduction of interest in observing the race.

Keywords:  Climate change, water-based recreation, substitution, travel behaviour, streamflow
 

Nordic Geographers Meeting 2013

The NGM is a biennial meeting of Nordic geographers, taking place in turn in one of the Nordic Countries.

The 5th Nordic Geographers Meeting will be held in Reykjavík, Iceland, at the University of Iceland, 11 – 14 June 2013. Previous meetings include: Lund, Sweden (2005); Bergen, Norway (2007); Turku, Finland (2009); Roskilde, Denmark (2011).

The theme of the NGM 2013 is Responsible Geographies.

We are presenting research on the carbon impacts of the Westfield River Canoe Races.

While most people think that a canoe race does not significantly to carbon emissions, especially when compared to auto racing, air travel or just about any motorized event, our research found about 33.6 pounds of carbon were emitted per vehicle in 2012 and 32.5 pounds in 2013.  From our group sample over the two years (n=142), this meant that each group having 2 or more cars to shuttle the canoes the average emissions per group was closer to 62.6 pounds in 2012 and 66.2 pounds in 2013.

Research has found that tourism activities contribute about 5% of the global emissions and of that figure 75% is from transport costs.

So a little canoe race in Western Mass, does have an impact.  See the abstract in the Nature Conservation and Tourism session.

Here we are navigating through Hill and Dale Rapids!

Westfield River Canoe Race today

We were up at the races this morning survey participants in the novice race and the expert race.  Another team hit "Hill and Dale" rapids to talk to spectators.  We did this study last year during a drought so we came back this year since the river was flowing well.  Check out the stream gauge data here.  While it rain last night, the sudden surge was the result of a controlled release on the river.  Back up on this site to see river flows across the country.  Thanks to James, Forrest, Jim, Mike and Sarah for helping me collect the data!

Nordic Geographers Meeting in Iceland this June

The NGM is a biennial meeting of Nordic geographers, taking place in turn in one of the Nordic Countries.

The 5th Nordic Geographers Meeting will be held in Reykjavík, Iceland, at the University of Iceland, 11 – 14 June 2013. Previous meetings include: Lund, Sweden (2005); Bergen, Norway (2007); Turku, Finland (2009); Roskilde, Denmark (2011).

The theme of the NGM 2013 is Responsible Geographies. Both human and physical geographers are encouraged to participate under this broad heading.

We will be adding to our data base by collecting data on the next Westfield River Wildwater Races.  Our abstract follows:

Rural Tourism: Challenges of Carbon Impacts

Robert S. Bristow
Department of Geography & Regional Planning
Westfield State University
USA

Ian Jenkins
Les Roches – Gruyere
University of Applied Sciences
Switzerland

According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, CO2 emissions generated directly from the tourism sector account today for 5 per cent of global CO2 emissions.  In many cases, especially in the ecotourism sector, tourists may believe their impact is minimal as they try to travel green.  This misconception needs further examination since ecotourism is often touted as a green alternative to conventional mass tourism when in fact, the impact may be spread over a larger natural area.  The purpose of this research is to identity the carbon footprint generated by a whitewater canoe race from both the participants and the observers. 

The Carbon Footprint is one measure of the tourism impact of human activity related to leisure pursuits. According to the World Tourism Organization changes in the availability of water, loss of natural habitats, reduced to the visual landscape, altered agricultural production, and other factors will all impact tourism as a result of climate change.

Data for this study were collected by a survey administered on the date of the 2012 Westfield River Wildwater Races, a river with Class III rapids.  The sample represents 153 novice racers, 36 experts and 100 spectators yielding a total 289 respondents.  Calculating total emissions was based on the type and year of vehicle driven to the event, total round trip miles and calculating a per mile carbon emission for each party.  Based on this sample, it is estimated that a total 8558.98 pounds of carbon were emitted into the atmosphere for this tourist event.

Keywords:  Carbon footprint, rural tourism 

Confusion with Carbon Calculators

So, we are trying to calculate the carbon footprint for the annual Westfield River Canoe Race. Using two online calculators we get two different emission for the same car.  What gives?

For example from

TerraPass

I get this

7,768 lbs CO₂ per year


Carbon Footprint Ltd.

I get this

3.73 metric tons:

12000 miles in a USA 2005 TOYOTA COROLLA 1.8, Auto(L4)