7. Energy and Emissions
Transition, Island Constraints and Tourism Demand
Energy is integral to the sustainability and resilience of Sardinia’s visitor economy. Accommodation, restaurants, airports, ports, road transport, marinas, water systems, wastewater treatment, cooling, public lighting and digital services all depend on reliable energy. As temperatures rise and visitor demand remains concentrated in summer, energy use for cooling and water services is likely to become an increasingly important destination-management issue.
Sardinia’s island geography creates a distinct energy context. The region is connected to the mainland electricity system, but its generation mix, transmission capacity, industrial structure and dependence on imported fuels create specific reliability, affordability and decarbonisation challenges. Terna reports that coal-fired generation in Italy was almost eliminated in 2024 except for operations in Sardinia, underlining the importance of the island’s transition pathway.[download.terna]
The Regional Environmental and Energy Plan, PEARS, provides Sardinia’s strategic energy framework. It includes the objective of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 50% by 2030 compared with 1990 and increasing the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption to 32% by 2030. These targets provide policy direction. They should not be presented as achieved outcomes.[euagenda]
The transition is complicated by a legitimate territorial question: how can renewable-energy capacity expand without undermining landscape quality, biodiversity, agricultural activity, cultural heritage or local consent? In July 2024, the regional council adopted urgent measures to safeguard landscape and environmental assets while a framework for identifying suitable areas for renewable-energy and storage facilities was being developed.[grplex]
This highlights an important principle for destination development. Decarbonisation is necessary, but it is not automatically sustainable in every location or form. Energy projects need transparent spatial planning, ecological assessment, community participation, landscape sensitivity and clear local-benefit arrangements.
| Energy issue | Relevance to tourism | Destination-management implication |
|---|---|---|
| Building energy demand | Hotels, rentals, restaurants and public venues require electricity for cooling, lighting and services | Improve efficiency, passive cooling, smart controls and energy-performance monitoring |
| Summer heat | Higher temperatures may increase cooling demand during peak occupancy | Integrate heat adaptation with building retrofit and urban design |
| Transport energy | Aviation, ferries and private cars are major components of visitor access and movement | Address mobility patterns; do not claim a tourism carbon footprint without a transparent boundary |
| Renewable deployment | Can reduce fossil-fuel dependence and support resilience | Locate projects through landscape, biodiversity and community-sensitive planning |
| Grid resilience | Essential for water, wastewater, health, communications and tourism operations | Incorporate energy reliability into destination risk and emergency planning |
| Ports and marinas | Vessel energy use and shore-side operations affect emissions and local air quality | Assess shore power, efficiency, waste facilities and low-emission port operations |
| Local energy value | Community and business participation can influence acceptance and benefit distribution | Explore self-consumption, energy communities and locally appropriate renewable models |
Tourism-related emissions should be addressed carefully. Reliable destination-level carbon accounting requires agreed boundaries: whether to include international and domestic travel, ferry journeys, local transport, accommodation, food, activities, construction and supply chains; how to allocate shared journeys; and how to treat second homes and residents.
Sardinia does not appear to publish a single, complete and independently verified tourism carbon footprint. This paper will not invent one. Instead, it recommends that destination managers begin with measurable components: accommodation electricity and fuel use per guest-night; local transport mode share; airport and port access patterns; public-transport use; waste-related emissions; and the uptake of renewable energy and efficiency measures.
The most effective near-term action is often demand reduction rather than offsetting. For accommodation, this can include building fabric improvements, shading, passive ventilation, efficient cooling, solar hot water, heat pumps, appliance standards, smart controls, staff training and transparent energy monitoring. For public authorities, it includes efficient water and wastewater systems, building retrofit, shaded public space, low-emission mobility and energy-resilient critical infrastructure.
Sardinia’s energy transition should support a destination model that is lower carbon, more resilient and locally beneficial. The relevant measure of success is not only the number of renewable installations. It is whether the transition reduces emissions and energy vulnerability while respecting landscapes, ecosystems, communities and the territorial qualities on which the visitor economy depends.