Copenhagen Trials Climate Reward Scheme for Tourists
Aiming to reduce the environmental impact of lots of tourists, Denmark's capital city is piloting a climate-friendly scheme for visitors offering incentives for green behavior.
Transcript
00:00In the waterways of Copenhagen, kayakers scoop trash out of the water as part of a government
00:07initiative called CopenPay, a program that rewards tourists for climate-friendly actions.
00:13If participants collect trash for two hours, the tour becomes free.
00:18When people are on the water, they will be more invested in having a clean ocean, so
00:26when you're in the ocean, you get invested in the ocean.
00:30The tour is just one of 20 attractions across the Danish capital that offers green benefits.
00:36Other activities include doing a few hours' work at an urban garden for a free lunch or
00:41cycling to the National Museum for free ice cream.
00:45Some 12 million tourists visited Copenhagen in 2023, so the city decided to promote climate-friendly
00:51principles that visitors may have left at home.
00:54I think about it when I'm at home, but when I travel, I do think about convenience more,
00:59which makes me sad.
01:01I'm conscious, like, in my land, but when I'm, like, troubling, I don't think about
01:07it because I just want, like, to have fun or, like, to see stuff.
01:11The reward system is a pilot scheme, being trialed only for a few weeks.
01:16Conservationists say it's a good start, but to truly curb the harmful impact of mass tourism,
01:22more sustainable solutions are needed.
01:24Well, I think it's interesting because it puts some action to the concept of sustainability.
01:31People can join and do a few things.
01:34I don't think as such it does a lot of, you know, cleanup or it's not, like, going to
01:41solve the world's problems to pick up a few pieces of plastic here and there.
01:45With the scheme, Copenhagen joins other cities around the world, like Barcelona and Tokyo,
01:50working to reduce the downside of being popular places to visit through activities that promote
01:55green travel, one piece of litter at a time.
01:58Lufilin Harrell-Hughes for Taiwan Plus.