Green Key joins other leaders in the tourism industry to call for urgent action on the climate crisis through the Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency initiative.
Eddie Ramirez, owner of the Green Key awarded Casa Sol B&B in Puerto Rico, has equipped his roof with solar panels to reduce the establishment’s carbon footprint and weather power outages caused by hurricanes. Read more. Photo: ©Marie Fazio
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism was one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. According the UNWTO, there has been a 56-fold increase in international tourism since 1950. As more and more people set out to explore the world, they leave behind a larger and larger carbon footprint. Based on scholarly research published in the Nature Climate Change journal, tourism was responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2018.
As a major player in the world economy, the tourism industry has the opportunity to play a significant role in the fight against climate change. Sustainable travel is becoming more sought after, as travellers recognise the need to balance their wanderlust with environmental responsibility. The trend is expected to continue as the world begins to open back up to travel; we have learned the hard way that humans need to be more thoughtful about how our actions affect the planet.
Green Key has been promoting sustainability in the hospitality industry since 1994, and our global network has expanded along with the travel industry. As we have welcomed new countries and regions to the Green Key network, we have gotten an intimate glimpse at how climate change is already beginning to affect the planet. From destructive hurricanes in the Caribbean, to prolonged drought in South Africa and intense wildfires in Australia, some of the most popular Green Key destinations in the world are facing serious threats from climate change.
As a leading eco label for hospitality and tourism establishments in 65 countries around the world, it is Green Key’s responsibility to do what we can to take action on climate change. That is why we are proud to join over 100 other tourism organisations in the Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency initiative. As a signatory of Tourism Declares, we commit to the following five actions:
Within the next year, we will develop and implement a ‘Climate Emergency Plan’. As part of our own strategic goals for the coming decade, Green Key has already begun to develop an action plan to scale-up climate action through the programme, including more thorough carbon emissions criteria for Green Key awarded establishments.
We will publicly share this climate emergency declaration and keep our network updated about progress towards our goals.
We accept the current IPCC advice stating the need to cut global carbon emissions by 55% below 2017 levels by 2030, in order to keep the planet within 1.5 degrees of pre-industrial warming levels. We will develop our Climate Emergency Plan with actions that work towards this goal.
We will work together with our network to encourage others to sign the climate emergency declaration, share best practices and actively participate in efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the tourism industry.
We will advocate for change. We recognise the need for system change across the tourism industry, and we will continue to grow our voice in the global dialogue about climate change to advocate for urgent climate action.
Please consider joining the Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency movement to add your voice to the call for climate action. Together we can harness the power of the tourism industry to create real and lasting positive change and protect the future of our planet!