Towards Sustainable Urban Tourism: Carbon Accounting of Allegorical Float Construction in Major Cultural Festivals

Assessing carbon footprints has become increasingly important globally as a key tool for quantifying environmental impacts and supporting sustainable decision-making. However, although allegorical floats—central elements of large-scale parades in internationally recognized cultural festivals such as the Rose Parade in Pasadena, USA (RPP), the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, Brazil (RJC), the Black and White Carnival in San Juan de Pasto, Colombia (BWC), and the Fruit and Flower Festival in Ambato, Ecuador (FFF)—represent significant expressions of cultural heritage and artistic creativity, their environmental impact has received limited attention in sustainability research. The primary objective was to quantify the carbon emissions associated with constructing these temporary structures. The methodology integrated geometric surface estimation with carbon accounting principles commonly applied in life-cycle assessment. Emissions were calculated based on the material composition of the structural, covering, and finishing stages, and normalized using two indicators: kilograms of CO2 equivalent (kg CO2e) per square meter of float surface area and kg CO2e per float. Results indicate that emission intensity varies substantially across festivals, with RJC exhibiting the highest value (approximately 9 kg CO2e/m2) due to extensive use of synthetic materials, while BWC demonstrates the lowest intensity (approximately 4.3 kg CO2e/m2) as a result of greater reliance on wood- and paper-based components. When assessed per float, the large scale of RJC structures leads to emissions exceeding 30,000 kg CO2e per float, whereas FFF floats generate less than 1000 kg CO2e due to their smaller dimensions and use of natural materials. This research constitutes the first comparative carbon assessment of allegorical float construction and advances the emerging intersection of cultural heritage studies and environmental sustainability.