The travel industry is being urged to prove its commitment to sustainability with “rapid decarbonisation” to prevent climate catastrophe.
James Thornton, chief executive of Intrepid Travel, one of the first carbon neutral tour operators, warned delegates at the Abta travel convention in Morocco that significant change was needed.
“The travel and tourism industry is at the forefront of climate catastrophe,” he said. “Change is needed as soon as possible. The reality is, there is no vaccine for climate change. We won’t have the world to show our customers if we don’t change climate change.
According to World Travel & Tourism Council, the travel industry produces between 8% and 11% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, the majority from transportation.
However, Thornton admitted that of the 3,547 private companies that have so far committed to reduce carbon emissions through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), only 74 are tourism and hospitality businesses and, among them, only 29 have approved their targets.
“The problem is, Intrepid, along with a handful of other travel and tourism businesses, is starting to feel isolated in the Science-Based Target community … he said.
“Travel can’t meaningfully address climate change by talking about how important it is and how committed we all are. We really need concrete actions. And we need them now. Otherwise, it’s just greenwashing – and we see it in travel all the time,” he added.
Intrepid, the largest B Corp travel company, took the lead in becoming carbon neutral in 2010, and has eliminated short-haul flights from its top 50 itineraries in favor of alternatives such as bus and train travel.
“Beyond flying, there are more than 30 forms of transportation that Intrepid travelers use on their trips,” Thornton said. “This includes all kinds of things, such as buses, taxis, rickshaws, snowmobiles and even camels. Operating more than 2,000 trips in more than 100 countries, we rely on many ways to get around.
“In an increasing number of cases, those roads are increasingly powered by humans – walking or cycling. But realistically, one of the biggest carbon outputs in our tourism is transport. With this in mind, we are constantly looking for ways to innovate, ” he added.
Meanwhile, the trade body Airlines UK urged the British government to offer increased financial support for the production of greener aviation fuel.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said manufacturing sites for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) would not be set up unless incentives were offered. He urged ministers to consider introducing a pricing mechanism for SAF as it is now several times more expensive to produce than traditional jet fuel.
The UK has ambitions for at least five commercial scale SAF plants to be built in the UK by 2025.
The government has invested money in the development of the site, and has proposed that airlines operating in the UK must ensure that SAF makes at least 10% of their jet fuel by 2030.
“Despite the mandate of the plan, despite the money they have announced, we do not have SAF in this country,” Alderslade told the convention.
“Everything the investment community and the producers have told us, without price certainty, we wouldn’t be running those five factories. They want to make sure they’re going to get the money they’re investing. That comes from the price. Ultimately, they want to make sure the price is they get from airlines for nascent products will give returns,” he added.
SAF is produced from sustainable sources such as agricultural waste and used cooking oil, and reduces carbon emissions by 80% compared to kerosene.
Alderslade said he was afraid that the minister would be satisfied with importing SAF instead of making it domestically.
He said: “The worry is, they will put together this idea that we can’t win in everything, the US is leading, there are other parts of Europe that are going to do SAF, and we will just import everything.”
Importing SAF would mean British airlines “give up” on jobs and investment, and become “risky” in terms of price and supply fluctuations, Alderslade warned.
He added that producing SAF is important for flying greener. “To fly long distances, it’s the only game in town right now,” he says. “You can’t decarbonise long-haul flying without SAF when it’s there.”
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer added a call for the government to “incentivise the development of low-carbon fuels”.
He said: “The government’s growth agenda demands this, and the alternative of reducing emissions will only frustrate its own ambitions.”
