Nilgiris Perched Atop a Tourism Carbon Bomb Keg

Ooty:Ahead of the World Environment Day, which will be observed on June 5, Janardhan Nanjundan, a Nasa Citizen Scientist (Globe Program) and convener of Nilgiri Needs Love organization, said that tourism carbon footprint shows a huge increase in the Nilgiris, the nation's first biosphere reserve, that may ultimately warm up the hills and change the climate pattern.

Mr Janardhan stated that World Environment Day 2026 focuses on the climate change with the urgent signals the earth is sending us such as rising

sea-levels, raging wildfires, heat waves, melting glaciers and failing monsoons. The Nilgiris has experienced most of it. The main cause of climate change is human activity — primarily the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) for energy, transportation, and industry.

The calculation of tourism carbon footprint is of great significance to low-carbon tourism. The Citizen Science Study estimated the tourism carbon footprint in the Nilgiris during April and May 2026 by using tourism carbon footprint and tourism carbon capacity models. It measures the total emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from a specific population, system or activity.

There are two types of carbon footprints. The first carbon footprint refers to the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the direct use of fossil fuels, such as energy consumption caused by family daily life and daily travel. The second carbon footprint refers to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions hidden in commodities that consumers use during the manufacturing, transportation, sales, and recycling processes of various commodities.

In tourism activities, the carbon footprint of each link of food, lodging, travel, shopping and entertainment can be uniformly calculated with the relevant tourism income or tourist consumption. In summary, the main factors affecting carbon emissions in tourism activities are tourist arrivals, tourism consumption levels, and energy consumption in tourism-related industries.

In response to the severe environmental and social strain caused by excessive traffic, as identified by the Madras High Court, measures were taken to manage the huge vehicle influx into the ecologically-sensitive Nilgiri hills. The roads are carrying beyond their capacity. The court noted that the alarming number of vehicles was causing irreparable damage to the biosphere, disrupting the lives of residents and harming wildlife.

To address this, a cap on the carrying capacity of vehicles was implemented in the 2025 summer. The results from the initial phase have been positive. For instance, due to the implementation cap on vehicles at 6,000 on weekdays and 8,000 on weekends, there has approximately been a 25 ktCO2e GHG (25 kilo tons of carbon dioxide /GreenHouse Gas) emissions reduction in the period from April to June 2025. This demonstrates a direct positive environmental outcome from regulating vehicle access to protect the region’s fragile ecosystem.

But, during April to May 2026 there is a significant increase in carbon emission, a 23 ktCO2e GHG rise as per the Citizen Science study. The Nilgiris carbon footprint is almost equal to the carbon capacity, and the amount of vegetation can carry the carbon emissions of tourism activities, indicating that the tourism industry is green as of now but not sustainable. As the ratio of vegetation area to tourist base is almost equal. To go Carbon Neutral by 2030, the following measures shall be taken that includes regulating tourism by 50 per cent, regulating tea and coffee factories, planting more native trees, maintaining the existing grasslands and wetlands, and looking for avenues for energy efficient hotels and houses, he advocated.