Sea Going Green is Declaring a Climate Emergency
Photo by John Towner
Enough is enough. We’re declaring a climate emergency. Call us a whistle-blower, but the tourism industry is in trouble and without immediate change, the consequences of inaction will be irreversibly destructive to the future of our environment.
Along with 78 travel companies and counting, we’re joining forces with big names in tourism to stand up and take responsibility for our actions. In this blog, we’ll discuss how the tourism industry has contributed to global warming, why we’re declaring a climate emergency and our commitment working towards keeping warming to 1.5 degrees by 2030.
How is the tourism industry contributing to global warming?
The vast majority of our global CO2 emissions are coming from our biggest industries: tourism, transport and consumerism. The tourism industry (producing 5-10% of all emissions) has experienced a boom largely attributed to the “instagram generation”, an increased interconnectivity (the internet) and a rise in overall human mobility to see the world. It is now easier and cheaper than ever to find a destination to visit, book a flight and find accommodation all within a few clicks. In 2018, the tourism industry generated $8.8 trillion to the global economy and 319 million jobs to the global workforce. The cruise industry single-handedly contributed 21 million metric tons of CO2, while aviation and transport led to a whopping 905 million metric kg put into our atmosphere in the same year. The truth is that CO2-induced global warming and rising water temperatures are causing our reefs to die, but tourism arrivals are only growing.
Overall, the tourism industry has greatly benefitted, but our environment has had to live out the consequences, which is why it is time to take responsibility and direct our attention back to the Earth.
The biggest impacts are by and large due to how we arrive at our destination. The average round trip trans-Atlantic flight produces 1,000 kilograms of CO2 per passenger, more than a years’ worth of CO2 for many individuals in the developing world! This doesn’t even take into account the activity-based CO2 created by what tourists do at the destination itself considering our consumption (food, drinks, water usage, electricity...etc.) can also carry a large footprint.
Why are we announcing a climate emergency now?
Scientists say that we have ten years to act before it’s too late. It’s no secret that bureaucracy and regression fueled by identity politics has held us up in the past, which makes the urgency even greater now. It’s time to band together, regardless of political affiliation or type of business, for the sake of our planet if we want to prevent more instances of deadly wildfires, bleached reefs, super-strength hurricanes and toxic air pollution.
There is a real palpable urgency around the world today to stop these effects, which will otherwise become inevitable. This has inspired us to declare a climate emergency and make a commitment to put a climate emergency plan in place to highlight our goals and how they contribute to a greener planet.
Our commitment:
Sea Going Green promises to:
Develop a Climate Emergency Plan and adopt it immediately.
Share our commitment and updates on our progress on a yearly basis.
Tailor our plan to work towards keeping the planet to within 1.5 degrees of warming by 2030 under the advise of the IPCC.
Encourage our clients and partners to make a climate emergency declaration, while sharing best practices with them and the Tourism Declares community.
Recognize and advocate for transformative change within the tourism industry including putting pressure on our leaders to prioritize and accelerate their efforts towards zero-carbon travel including air transportation.
What is it that we all have to do to make the tourism industry more sustainable?
We all have a voice in this and our actions can push the agenda forward. Here are some ways that we can all take part:
Put pressure on governments to keep to their commitments (if they’ve signed on to the Paris Agreement) and encourage businesses via incentives to switch to more sustainable operations
Demand tourism operators lower their environmental impact including pollution, waste flows and CO2 emissions (especially fuel & electricity)
Limit your own impact by using alternative forms of transport (traveling over land, if possible or ride-sharing), packing plastic-free alternatives (reusable water bottles, tote bag, bamboo cutlery), eating less meat and more seasonal produce, and acting responsibly when interacting with local communities and the surrounding biodiversity (read up on cultural norms and pack reef-safe sunscreen)
Are you a tourism operator, who would like to show your commitment to our planet? Get in touch with us here and also consider declaring at www.tourismdeclares.com, and join us and the Tourism Declares community to make a difference.