During the Cop26 Summit, the global tourism industry has come together and pledged to reduce carbon emissions in the coming years. The summit drew out the worldwide threat posed by Global Warming, concluding that a destroyed planet will serve no one’s purpose. Therefore, the summit aimed at reducing the emission related to the tourist industry to a complete zero. The Cop26 Summit made it amply clear that Saudi Arabia leads the green overhaul of tourism industry by setting up a centralized hub of experts in the country.
At the Glasgow summit, Ahmed Al Khateeb, Saudi Tourism Minister, said that the industry needs future growth and prosperity by being in harmony with the planet earth. He added that Saudi’s Sustainable Tourism Global Center would offer the best expertise and guidance provided by the industry leaders and the government. It will help the industry by bringing tourism giants together with sustainability experts to employ best practices and knowledge. Tourism is without a doubt essential to the global economy. Therefore, it is only logical that it should be a part of the solution.
The minister also told: “We will need to take urgent and strong action now to limit the impact of climate change. Critically, it will enable us to make these changes while at the same time providing jobs and driving growth.”
Earlier this year, the UNEP or United Nations Environment Programme reported in its Emission Gap Report of 2021 that global warming will impact and raise the world’s temperature by 2.7°C at the end of the century. The rising temperature has started to show its effects in the forms of natural disasters, rising seawater levels, floods, coastal erosion, disruption of coral reefs and more. Therefore the nations are now united to plan for a green overhaul of tourism industry around the world.
The Green Future Of Travel
The World Tourism Organization (UNTWO) claims that tourism emission makes up around 5% of total CO2 output. Zurab Pololikashwili, the chief of UNWTO, said, “The window of opportunity to rethink and reform our sector is closing,” and the step taken at the summit will act as a “tool to help bridge the gap between good intentions and meaningful climate action.” The 300 signatories have pledged in the summit to reduce the tourism emission by half in 2030 and achieve a net-zero target by 2050. The signatories to the cause include tour operators, hotel brands, national tourism boards and aviation companies. The industry giants committed to seek an eco-friendly recovery from the devastating effects of COVID-19. They declared that “Restoring nature — and our relationship with it — will be key to our sector’s recovery from the pandemic, as well as its future prosperity and resilience.”
UNEP’s Executive Director, Inger Anderson explained “Climate action needs a dramatic step-up if we are to have a shot at limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. The travel and tourism sector has a big stake in decarbonization because a destroyed planet serves no one’s purpose.”
Saudi Arabia plans to invest more than $1 trillion in the tourism sector over the next 10 years. This will play a key role in developing the overall tourism in line with the goal of green travel in and out of the Kingdom; leading the project of green overhaul of tourism at a global level.
