The threat to clean environment: The carbon footprint of forest camping activities as social tourism in Turkey and Lithuania

The most important factor in the emergence and growth of climate change and environmental problems is people's transportation preferences. In this context, the aim of the research is to calculate the carbon footprint of individuals participating in camping activities in Turkey and Lithuania in the summer of 2022. In the study, the emission factors of preferred airplanes, urban buses and personal vehicles were used in the carbon footprint calculation process. In this research, the distance travelled by the individuals participating in the camping activities in Turkey and Lithuania in the summer period of 2022 with the travel vehicles they prefer for transportation was used. The total distance travelled in a summer period is 330,015 km in Turkey, the total distance travelled in a summer period is 132,331 km in Lithuania. In the analysis of the data set obtained through the official institutions from both countries and in the calculation of the carbon footprint, the emission factors of the preferred aircraft, urban buses and personal vehicles were used. According to the analysis, the total carbon footprint calculated for both countries is 73.54 tons. While the carbon footprint calculated for Turkey is 46.51 tons; for Lithuania, it is 23.83 tons. Depending on the travels made in Turkey, the average per capita carbon footprint is 10.70 kg, while in Lithuania it is 4.38 kg. The average per capita carbon footprint calculated for both countries is 15.08 kg. Regardless of their travel preference, the travels of people in both countries cause carbon footprints and contribute to the global climate change problem. It is seen that airway vehicles are used in Turkey due to the distances being much longer and this situation enlarges the carbon footprint. In Lithuania, the prominent carbon source is individual vehicle use.