Too big to fail: tourism industry biggest factor in climate change

As one of the largest global industries of the modern era, travel and tourism not only sets the standard on climate change, but also serves as an example of how to fight it.

The travel and tourism industry is a tremendous benefactor of global economic development.

In 2009 alone, the travel and tourism economy will make up 9.3 percent of the global GDP, while having generated over 210 million jobs (7.4 global employment).

The previous year, 922 million international tourist arrivals were recorded, contributing $944 billion in international tourism receipts.

With such a far-reaching economic span, travel and tourism has been positioned it as a leading player in a strong, united, global effort at combating climate change. With such a huge economic “footprint”, the industry needs to proactively adopt industry-wide best practices to combat climate change.

Mutual dependency

The sustainability of the travel and tourism industry and that of the environment are mutually dependent. While travel and tourism are often lauded as global conduits for peace and prosperity, as well as social and environmental awareness, economic and environmental adaptation simply cannot happen without them.

Travel and tourism, as evident on this site every day, actively engages in the protection of fragile ecosystems and indigenous communities – allowing the industry to contribute towards the successful advancement of poverty alleviation in developing countries – a major topic of discussion in climate change litigation.

The travel and tourism industry needs to continue to develop sustainable solutions that are at the forefront of efforts to combat climate change, especially those that foster the exchange of innovative technology to advance carbon reduction.

Global sectoral approaches, supported by a level econmic playing field, will allow the industry to efficiently pursue the scale of change for progressive transformation to occur.

Commitment to change in a green economy

In order to give travel and tourism companies necessary transparency to make informed green business decisions – many of which can strongly influence a nation’s economic development -  a sound framework is critical.

A solid Copenhagen Agreement can and should provide a unique opportunity to set the foundation upon which a resilient green economy can be developed. However, in order to make this happen, public and private sector partnership is essential.

Moving forward fast are private and public sector industry groups the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Tourism Organization. Jointly, the two world bodies are aligning efforts to unify a fragmented travel and tourism industry, speaking with one voice on the critical issue of climate change.

Both organizations are hosting a side event during the COP-15 negotiations on December 18th -  Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change – Perspectives from the Travel and Tourism Sector – that will highlight innovators from the private and public sector from across the world and all sectors of the industry.

“UNWTO’s Davos Declaration Process on climate change response paved the way to position the tourism industry as a relevant player of global climate neutrality,” said UNWTO Secretary-General ad interim Taleb Rifai. “Joining forces for tourism to speak as one in Copenhagen responds furthermore to a key recommendation of the UNWTO Roadmap for Recovery, highlighting the importance of building a strong public-private dialogue and boosting strong partnerships.”

Under the leadership of WTTC and UNWTO, examples of best practice will be presented in order to communicate to policy-makers and the rest of the industry travel and tourism’s proactive approach to carbon emissions’ mitigation and adaptation.

“The great cross-cutting impact of our industry makes it necessary to establish and maintain this close collaboration,” added Rifai. “I am confident that together we will contribute to a better positioning of travel and tourism in the global climate response agenda.”

“The travel and tourism industry urges global leaders in the wake of the Copenhagen Agreement – regardless of its final form – to actively engage the private sector in translating the internationally-agreed framework into transparent, supportive, and progressive national and regional policies,” said Jean-Claude Baumgarten, WTTC president and CEO. “The travel and tourism private sector has always sought a deeper working relationship with governments, and the anticipated Copenhagen Agreement will provide an excellent opportunity to further develop this relationship.”

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awareness, climate change, COP15, Copenhagen, emissions, peace, tourism, UNWTO, World Tourism Organization, WTTC