Dr Susanne Etti, environmental impact specialist at Intrepid Travel aims to rally industry five years on from Paris Agreement
Our lives have been turned upside down by Covid-19 but, sadly, as terrible as the health and economic impacts of the pandemic are the long-term effects of climate change will prove far worse for the travel industry.
The good news is we already have the knowledge, tools and skills required to limit climate change and avert another global disaster – we just need the will to act, and we must do so quickly.
On December 12, 2015, every country in the world signed the historic Paris Agreement to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050. This, nearly five years ago to the day, was aimed at averting a planetary disaster by limiting global warming to 1.5˚C.
Covid-19 feels like that sort of global disaster. But, instead, let’s use this moment as a catalyst for more ambitious climate action to reduce emissions and transform our industry.
We must act urgently.
Since the Paris Agreement five years ago, global warming has continued to accelerate. According to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization, 2020 was “yet another extraordinary year” for climate, with new extreme temperatures, wildfires and flooding.
The tourism industry has a front seat to this unfolding emergency, with the impacts being felt on the places and people we visit.
Science is telling us we need to change, and quickly.
The world’s leading climate science authority, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has stated that risks to people and natural systems associated with warming are substantially lower at 1.5˚C than 2˚C. However, limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires rapid changes in all parts of our economies and society.
This year we’ve seen more action on emissions, with climate commitments from a number of governments, including the UK. A bright ray of hope is president-elect Biden’s indication that the US will re-join the Paris Agreement in early 2021. But this is not enough.
Climate action isn’t just about what countries do. We all must take the lead, even while we battle the vast challenges of Covid-19. If we don’t; it will be too late. For travel companies, that means setting emissions targets that align with the global goal of 1.5˚C.
Taking action on emissions also offers businesses many advantages. The earlier a business starts working on an emissions trajectory in line with a 1.5˚C world, the more beneficial the changes to the company.
This is why Intrepid Travel has set a science-based emission reduction target to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions at the pace and scale science says is necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Intrepid’s science-based targets will see emissions reduced across our operations and supply chains, including moving to lower carbon alternatives on our trips and adopting renewable energy in all our global offices by 2025.
In a year with few highlights, the approval of our targets by the Science Based Targets initiative, a high-level collaboration of a number of international organisations, including the UN Global Compact, has been a high point.
Plus, we know setting ambitious targets makes good business sense – science-based emission reduction targets can help drive business innovation and secure long-term competitive advantage.
We’re proud to be the first global tour operator to achieve science-based targets – but we don’t want to be the only one. The whole industry needs to take meaningful collective action on climate as a critical priority in travel’s post-Covid recovery.
As the tourism leaders look ahead to next year, corporate boards have the opportunity to align Covid-19 recovery plans with strategies to rebuild responsibly and plan for a low carbon economy.
So, no matter where you are on your climate journey, make it your 2021 priority to take the next step to translate your commitment into action in your travel business.
It is the only way to ensure everyone, including our current and future customers, can enjoy the wonders of this planet.