We know many organisations have become increasingly interested in taking action, but there remains a general lack of know-how, and many questions about how to tackle change that’s often complicated and – in many cases – bigger than any one organisation can deliver.
But tourism has a vital role to play. It represents a large portion of many economies around the world. It has the potential to be a real driving force for change in those destinations, encouraging decarbonisation and climate resilience across the broader supply chain, in local economies, and around public infrastructure.
Furthermore, many of the places most vulnerable to climate change, such as coastal areas and islands, can harness tourism’s regenerative power to help protect and restore vital natural resources such as mangroves, forests, reefs, freshwater lakes, and fertile soils and contribute to vital placemaking efforts as Covid recovery proceeds apace.
It may have been a slow start for our sector, but I’m confident we are now in a different world. The pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities and opened a window for change, and it’s happened alongside several notable wildfires and other natural disasters – not to mention ballooning interest from travellers who are expecting better.
Many Covid recovery plans and stimulus packages have been set in the context of meeting climate obligations. The mindsets of chief executives and board members, shareholders and investors have also shifted. New ambitious strategies and targets are surfacing from major players almost daily, and those who remain disengaged look increasingly out of touch and exposed.
That’s why at Cop26, with the UNWTO, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Tourism Declares and VisitScotland, we’re launching the Glasgow Declaration – a global initiative that commits those who sign it to set targets aligned with the Paris Agreement, publish a climate action plan and annual progress reports, and collaborate on achieving the necessary change at both local and global scales.
The declaration is framed around five pathways – Measure, Decarbonise, Regenerate, Collaborate and Finance – and will include an annex of resources and recommended actions to help ensure this is not “just another thing that stakeholders sign on to”.
We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we can provide the community, the inspiration, the tools and resources and, yes, the accountability, to move our sector forward.
The Glasgow Declaration is our opportunity, and Cop26 is our moment, to unite and forge those pathways to halve emissions within this decade so that tourism’s future, and those of the destinations it relies on, is assured.
Jeremy Sampson is chief executive of The Travel Foundation. He is among several industry professionals to write for TTG to coincide with the Cop26 climate summit, whose columns will appear online over the coming days.
