A recent research review published in _npj Climate Action_ challenges the notion that ecotourism can significantly decarbonize the global tourism industry. Professors Ralf Buckley, Linsheng Zhong, and Stefan Gössling argue that while ecotourism offers valuable conservation and visitor management benefits, it is fundamentally incapable of offsetting the substantial carbon emissions generated by large-scale tourism, particularly aviation and extensive hotel operations. They express concern that claims of ecotourism-driven decarbonization could be exploited by the tourism and aviation sectors to delay necessary regulatory actions and justify continued emissions growth. Drawing on global data and a Chinese case study, the researchers emphasize that the climate benefits of ecotourism are negligible compared to the emissions from long-distance travel, and that true industry-wide decarbonization requires structural and institutional changes, not just localized conservation efforts.