Tourism Declares Climate Emergency
Part of the fundamentals of inclusivity is the creation and protection of a fair and equal society. Alongside this sense of fairness, many of our Further Afield partners expand that belief to cover a sense of responsibility to protect the physical environment of that inclusive society. Great examples are Ian and Bob, owners of Casal Dei Fichi in Le Marche, but also passionate eco warriors, who introduce us to Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency:
“a community of travel organisations, companies and professionals who have declared a climate emergency and are coming together to find solutions.“
Tourism’s part in this crisis
Unless you live as a hermit with no access to the outside world you cannot have failed to be aware of the climate emergency that we all face. In response governments, states, regions, businesses and diverse sections of civic society have declared a climate emergency.
Our industry, wonderful as it is, contributes to the problem with tourism accounting for approximately 7% of global greenhousen gasses. The science says that we need to half our emissions by 2030.
Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency is a global community of hundreds of travel related businesses and individuals who have declared a climate emergency and are coming together to find common solutions. It seeks to enable all sectors of the travel industry to acknowledge our responsibilities and develop appropriate climate action plans, reducing carbon emissions in line with what science says is needed.
The importance of getting involved
At Casal dei Fichi we are participating because we want to publicly state our commitment to the issue and implement workable solutions. We know there is increasing public awareness of the climate emergency and a growing customer demand for a solutions-led approach from hosts like us.
The travel and tourism sector needs to more or less halve its carbon impact by 2030. We can only achieve this goal if we all work together, sharing learnings, supporting each other and advocating for the innovation needed. A declaration essentially means that you want to be part of the solution which starts with acknowledging both the climate emergency and the need to cut emissions, together with a commitment to take action.
Tourism is changing and so are the expectations of guests. They too are learning about the climate crisis and are thinking about how to make their next holiday a little greener.
Further Afield guests share our sense of inclusivity and they know that they will receive a warm welcome from us. But increasingly they too will also be seeking out hosts who have implemented eco-friendly initiatives. Through your sign up to Tourism Declares you can demonstrate that you acknowledge the climate crisis in our industry and commit to playing your part in tackling the issue. What follows then might include taking some steps to become more eco-friendly. You might be interested in some of the things we are doing at Casal dei Fichi.
We have found that being a member of Tourism Declares has enabled us to double down on what our business can easily achieve and to learn from others facing similar challenges to us. We have also differentiated ourselves from many of our competitors. As a signatory you will have access to a comprehensive online community – useful content and expertise from a network of other hosts on a similar journey.
How do businesses join up?
Signing up is free and takes only a few minutes. Businesses can sign up here but we’re always happy to help, so just get in touch with Bob via email or give him a call. This is a really important time in the climate emergency debate and we believe that it is vital that our movement is strong in representing all sections of our wonderfully diverse community.
Further Afield’s declaration
At Further Afield we’ve made our declaration of commitment to the Tourism Declares Climate Emergency by:
1. Develop a ‘Climate Emergency Plan,’ which means for us:
- Highlighting the benefits of being eco-friendly to all of our partners, new and existing
- Highlighting partners who commit to and demonstrate eco-friendly credentials
- Ensuring that where we can we’ll encourage our travellers to actively research and request places where they stay illustrate an environmental responsibility
2. Share an initial public declaration by linking to this blog for all new partners and existing partners via updates and conversation
3. Accept current IPCC advice stating the need to cut global carbon emissions to 55% below 2017 levels by 2030 in order to keep the planet within 1.5 degrees of warming. We’ll ensure our ‘Climate Emergency Plan’ represents actions designed to reduce carbon emissions by focusing on the activities that require the smallest adjustments to vacation rental operations that generate the most change.
4. Encourage our partners make the same declaration; sharing best practices through Further Afield. If you would like to participate in this initiative you can follow the instructions on Tourism Declares here.
5. Advocate for change. We recognize the need for system change across the industry to accelerate a just transition towards carbon-free tourism.
Contact us for more details or Bob at Casal dei Fichi. We all need to commit to this change and work towards a more responsible attitude to the the environment from our industry colleagues.
