Daniel Scott

Daniel Scott is a University Professor and Research Chair in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Environment. He also serves as an International Research Fellow at the School of Hospitality and Tourism, University of Surrey (UK), with 25 years of expertise in sustainable tourism and climate change interfaces.

His research centers on bidirectional climate-tourism interactions: analyzing climate impacts on tourism across tourist, operator, and destination scales while assessing tourism's contribution to climate change through emissions and land use. Key focus areas include low-carbon transitions, adaptation policy development, consumer behavior shifts, and scenario planning for protected areas management.

Recent publications (2019-2023) reveal concentrated research on winter tourism vulnerability (particularly ski industry snowmaking), net-zero transition pathways, and global tourism vulnerability assessments. His work consistently bridges academic research with practical policy applications, emphasizing maladaptation risks and IPCC-aligned climate action frameworks.

Dr. Scott has received notable recognition including:

• Ranked in the world top 250 climate scientists by Reuters (2021)
• University of Waterloo Research Chair

He has led advisory projects for major international organizations:

• United Nations World Tourism Organization
• United Nations Environment Programme
• World Bank
• International Olympic Committee
• OECD
• Caribbean Tourism Organization

His publications have been downloaded over 500,000 times and featured in The Economist, New York Times, and BBC, reflecting significant real-world impact. He contributes to graduate supervision in climate-tourism intersections and teaches courses including Climate and Society and Human Dimensions of Climate Change.