A host of leading travel organizations have committed to act now and accelerate climate action to cut global tourism emissions by at least a half over the next decade towards reaching the ultimate goal of ‘net zero’ emissions as soon as possible before 2050.
The pledge was underlined this week under the prism of Climate Week in New York in preparation for COP26, the upcoming 26th United Nations Climate Change conference to be held in Glasgow Scotland from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12.
Dubbed, the “Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism,” the platform was developed by a collaborative group of organizations as “an urgent call” for stakeholders to commit to a decade of climate action in tourism, with signees promising to deliver a concrete or updated climate action plan within 12 months of signing – plans that are aligned with pathways of measurement, decarbonization, regeneration, collaboration, and financing as a means to “accelerate tourism’s ability to transform.”
Glasgow participants include the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the UN Environment Program (UNEP), VisitScotland, the Travel Foundation, and Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, along with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, European Tourism Association, Inkaterra, Intrepid Group, Machu Picchu, Oregon Coast, Radisson Hotel Group, South Pacific Tourism Organization, The Long Run, and The Travel Corporation (TTC).
Other organizations are being invited to join as launch partners starting in October.
The UNWTO says all members are united in emphasizing the importance of defining a clear and consistent sector-wide message and approach to climate action in the coming decade, as well as encouraging organizations across all areas of tourism to demonstrate their public support for scaling up the sector’s response to the climate emergency by becoming signatories.
The Declaration, which states “A just transition to Net Zero before 2050 will only be possible if tourism’s recovery accelerates the adoption of sustainable consumption and production and redefines our future success to consider not only economic value but rather the regeneration of ecosystems, biodiversity and communities,” will be officially launched at COP26 in November.
“We all recognize that tourism has an important role to play,” says UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “It’s highly vulnerable to climate change and contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases, while being well placed to contribute to adaptation. But no one organization can tackle this alone. That’s why we need to work urgently together within a consistent sector-wide approach to accelerate change and therefore I encourage tourism stakeholders to subscribe the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.”
Jeremy Smith, co-founder of Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, adds. “Everyone in tourism has a role to play in addressing the climate emergency. It is time for major players across our sector to come together to accelerate climate action – whether that is airlines, hotels, cruise, ferry, train, or car companies through to operators and agents, government and institutional agencies, associations, consortia, donors and financial institutions and academia. It is crucial we now all work together to transform tourism’s climate impact, competitiveness, sustainability and resilience.”
Research into CO2 emissions carried out by UNWTO shows that transport-related emissions from tourism is currently forecast to increase by 25% by 2030 from 2016 levels
In 2020, the One Planet Vision for a responsible recovery of the tourism sector was adopted by the UNWTO with the aim of emerging from the COVID-19 crisis both stronger and more sustainable. Climate action is a central element of the Vision, which calls for monitoring and reporting CO2 emissions from tourism, promoting the introduction of science-based targets, accelerating the decarbonization of tourism operations, and engaging the tourism sector in carbon removal.
The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism brings together the latest research and global expertise to galvanize climate action and will be hosted within the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Program’s website, supported by Recommended Actions for tourism stakeholders across the world to consider as part of their action planning, alongside other resources.