Climate and sustainability ‘The risks of climate change are becoming obvious’


THE WORLD is on course for an average temperature rise of 2.9C above pre-industrial levels even if countries stick to their current climate pledges, according to a UN Environment Programme report in advance of the COP28 Climate Conference in Dubai in November. Global greenhouse gas emissions


reached a new peak in 2023 and a 43% reduction on 2019 levels by 2030 is now needed to limit warming to 1.5C. COP28 closed with a non-binding


agreement on an “orderly transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems”, the first time fossil fuels have been mentioned in a COP agreement. A UN Intergovernmental Panel on


Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis Report published in March made alarming reading, not least for the travel industry, despite its cautious language. It warned the risks of warming are greater than forecast less than a decade ago, noting “limits to adaptation” have already been reached in some tropical, coastal, polar and mountain regions.” The IPCC warned: “Every increment of


global warming will intensify multiple and concurrent hazards.” Yet it also asserted: “Deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions would lead to a discernible slowdown in global warming within around two decades.” The authors described the report as “a


final warning”, suggesting governments move the 2050 ‘net zero’ deadline forward as near to 2040 as possible, adding: “Choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts . . . for thousands of years.” Among the implications for destinations,


the report noted sea level rise will mean “current one-in-100-year extreme sea level events [will] occur at least annually in more than half of all tide-gauge locations by 2100 under all scenarios”. Tide-gauge locations measure the changing level of tides. There are 40 around the UK. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Saudi-based Sustainable


Despite a lot of talk and some progress on sustainability, ‘we’re still tinkering around the edges’


Tourism Global Centre (STGC) released landmark data on the global impact of travel in an Environmental Impact Research report in November. This highlighted a decoupling of travel and tourism GDP growth from its environmental footprint between 2010 and 2019, with reductions in the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water use and material extraction. However, it came with a warning,


noting “the current climate and biodiversity crises” mean: “Continuing business as usual risks breaching environmental tipping points . . . [when] the sector is more dependent than most on the natural world.”


FIGURE 22:


TRAVEL & TOURISM GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS


3% 1%4%


7%


Scope 1 (direct) 5%


RUNNING OUT OF TIME The past 12 months saw unprecedented heat waves, wildfires and flooding around the world and little discernible increase in the rate of progress. Beth Hawkings, Deloitte senior


80%


(direct & indirect) 4%


11% 10%


15% 2%


8.1%* 20%


Transport Manufacturing Fuel


Hospitality 38% Scope 1-3


manager in risk advisory, noted: “You can see the physical impacts of climate change, the fires and heatwaves becoming more prevalent. These illustrate climate change is happening now. The implications and risks are becoming more obvious.” She argued: “A 1.5-degree warming


world was already unlikely. But where we are now, regulation is coming in thick and fast, such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) which will affect not only EU companies but companies with activities in the EU. We’ll see companies start to respond and the disclosures leading to action, giving business decision-makers the data they need to decide where to focus. As companies report against the regulations, we’ll start to see faster progress. We expect UK and US business to be impacted. “There are four timelines, with the


Utilities Agriculture/


food Other


*Travel & tourism share of global emissions Source: WTTC


latest for full-year 2028. The CSRD hits large and listed companies first, then companies with large undertakings and activities in the EU, then small and medium-sized (SMEs) businesses and those with smaller undertakings in


Travel Weekly Insight Report 2024 17


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60