Tourism declares CLIMATE EMERGENCY

“Rebalancing our relationship with nature is critical to regenerating both its ecological health and our personal, social and economic well-being. It is also critical for tourism, which relies on and connects us with flourishing ecosystems. Restoring nature – and our relationship with it – will be key to our sector’s recovery from the pandemic, as well as its future prosperity and resilience.

According to the latest UNWTO/ITF research, tourism CO2 emissions grew at least 60% from 2005 to 2016, with transport-related CO2 causing 5% of global emissions in 2016. Unless we accelerate decarbonisation, sector CO2 emissions could rise 25% or more by 2030, compared to 2016.

As outlined in the One Planet Vision for a Responsible Recovery of Tourism from COVID-19, committing to and planning for a green recovery offers us a unique opportunity to transform the sector in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. If we can move rapidly away from carbon- and material-intensive ways of delivering visitor experiences, instead prioritising community and ecosystem wellbeing, then tourism can be a leader in transforming to a low-carbon future.

The alternative is worsening vulnerability. Climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss jeopardise most tourism activities. Rising sea-levels, more frequent floods, and other extreme weather events threaten community livelihoods everywhere, from infrastructure and supply chains to food security.

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.”

(Retrieved from: One Planet, https://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/programmes/sustainable-tourism/glasgow-declaration)

Find out more about the Glasgow Declaration

Become a Signatory of the Glasgow Declaration

My Declaration

By becoming signatory, I agree to work on the implementation of the commitments detailed in the Glasgow Declaration, notably:

  • Contribute transforming tourism to deliver effective climate action.
  • Support the global commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050.
  • Align my actions with the latest scientific recommendations, so as to ensure our approach remains consistent with a rise of no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.

As a signatory, I commit to:

  • Deliver a climate action plan within 12 month of signing.
  • Report publicly both progress against interim and long-term targets, as well as the actions being taken annually.
  • Align my plan with five shared pathways (measure, decarbonise, regenerate, collaborate, finance) to ensure climate action is consistent across all of tourism.
  • Work in a collaborative and constructive spirit with other members of Tourism Declares and/or signatories of the Glasgow Declaration.

Some useful tools to evaluate and monitor your progress

1. Navigate the options and calculate your carbon footprint
2. Complete the forms on each page and add totals to your basket
3. Choose carbon reduction projects to offset your emissions and checkout

What is a carbon footprint? Calculate your carbon footprint.

Find out your Ecological Footprint and personal Earth Overshoot Day and learn about solutions to help us all tread more lightly on the Earth

I just calculated my Ecological Footprint with a new tool available at http://www.footprintcalculator.org.
The results are worse than expected, but they indeed give me a clear milestone to catch in 2022! Let’s work on this challenge together! Calculate your Ecological footprint and explore solutions to improve your environmental responsibility. Use the Carbon calculator to offset your emissions now.
I am looking forward to seeing my results and progress in January 2023!

My results in January 2022

How to limit your carbon footprint?

Understanding your carbon footprint can help limit the impact of your consumption on the environment. There are different online solutions to help you estimate your carbon footprint. Small changes can make a big difference in the long run, for example when it comes to transportation, food, clothing, waste, etc. Here are some tips:

Food

  • Consume local and seasonal products (forget strawberries in winter) 
  • Limit meat consumption, especially beef 
  • Select fish from sustainable fishing 
  • Bring reusable shopping bags and avoid products with excessive plastic packaging 
  • Make sure to buy only what you need, to avoid waste

Clothing

  • Take good care of your clothes
  • Try swapping, borrowing, renting or buying second-hand
  • Buy responsibly-made clothes, e.g. made from recycled material or with an eco-label

Transport

  • Cycle or use public transport
  • Be smart about when and how you drive 
  • Try the train for your next holiday

Energy and waste

  • Turn down the heating by 1°, it will already make a difference
  • Take short showers 
  • Turn off the water while you brush your teeth or clean the dishes
  • Unplug your electronic equipment and don’t leave your phone on charge when the battery is already full
  • Don’t store unnecessary data in the cloud (learn more about your digital footprint!)
  • Select energy efficient products with an “A” label (EU Energy Label)
  • Limit and recycle your waste

Retrieved from: https://europa.eu/youth/get-involved/sustainable-development/how-reduce-my-carbon-footprint_en

#measure, #decarbonize, #regenerate, #collaborate, #finance

Best
Ante