Carbon and Water Footprints of Marinas in the Canary Islands (Spain)

Abstract

Abstract The Canary Islands have a maritime position, and there are many ports along their coasts, including commercial, passenger transport and marinas, which is the case studied here. This document aims to determine the impact of marinas on the environment. To achieve this, carbon and water footprint calculation tools were used. A survey was developed and sent to the managers of the marinas, with questions that addressed three areas of the carbon footprint and the blue water in the water footprint calculation. Once the completed surveys were received, the data were processed and converted into tons of CO2 equivalent, using emission factors published in official Spanish sources. The amount of greenhouse gases produced by the marinas studied was obtained. One of the most remarkable findings is that companies working for the marinas (scope 3) have an important effect on the calculation, since not only the marina’s own activities generate emissions but also the movement of vehicles of companies related to this facility.