Hospitality stakeholders: Why is COP26 important?

It is undeniable that climate change is threatening the health and fundamental livelihoods of our communities around the world today. While climate science data can feel massive and overwhelming, there are many tangible actions businesses in the travel and tourism industry can take to drive meaningful positive change in the sector.

Some key findings from the latest IPCC report earlier this year report that:

• Ocean levels have risen 8 inches on average over the past century, and the rate of increase has doubled since 2006.

• The last decade is quite likely the hottest the planet has been in 125,000 years.

• The world's glaciers are melting and receding at a rate “unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years.”

• Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide have not been this high in at least 2 million years.

• Global surface temperature was 1.09C higher in the decade between 2011-2020 than between 1850-1900.

• The past five years have been the hottest on record since 1850.

Since the Paris Agreement was signed six years ago, the impacts of climate change have only increased in severity and have become more visible to communities around the world. This is due in no small part to the fact that climate change is now impacting wealthy nations unlike it ever has before.

Globally, one billion people live less than 10 meters above the current high tide, meaning that nearly 13% of the global population is at risk of facing significant sea level rise impacts in the near future (Nature). Floods in Germany, fires in Siberia, and smoke from fires reaching as far north as the North Pole are only a few of many new records experienced this year. In New York City this summer, floods shutdown transportation including train systems and highways! The situation now in New Orleans following Hurricane Ida is painfully clear, showing that history will repeat itself and disproportionately impact marginalized communities if we don't justly plan for the future.

Fundamentally, we have learned that climate change is a HUMAN issue and we need inclusive and human-centric solutions to address it. We must learn how to coexist with each other, so that we can do the same with our living planet.

COP26 presents an opportunity to renew focus and intention on climate action, and serves as a symbol of hope to our global community that #SolutionsExist and that balance with our natural world is possible. This year, even the sports industry has added their voice in rallying to express the need for urgent action and is investing attention into the COP26 dialogues.

With regard to the tourism sector, the recent World Tourism Day Forum hosted by CREST, highlighted the Glasgow Declaration: a Commitment to a Decade of Tourism Climate Action as a primary way for travel and tourism stakeholders to take united climate action towards a collective goal of keeping global warming within 1.5 degrees. The Glasgow Declaration aligns on five shared pathways to follow including:

1. Measuring emissions associated with travel and tourism

2. Reducing cross-sector emissions from transportation to waste management

3. Regenerating ecosystems that can rebalance our climate and support livelihoods

4. Collaborating across all sectors and at all levels

5. Investing sufficient financial resources and capacity to realize the goals set forth

While the need for strong and urgent action to defend the health of our communities and future generations is clear, as we approach the dialogues in Glasgow, the threat of false solutions and biased “lobbying” looms. Reports reveal that powerful nations are lobbying against fundamental objectives of the COP26 conference including the need to move away from fossil fuels, financially support poorer states through this transition, and reduce reliance on large-scale animal agriculture (BBC). Although the proceedings of the IPCC are impartial, these lobbying attempts indicate a lack of consensus on the solutions needed.

Along those lines, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives has launched a “Plastic Fuels the Climate Crisis” campaign urging all Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to avoid false climate solutions. Rather than allow plastic incineration, unproven chemical recycling, and the continued production of fossil fuel-based plastics in petrochemical facilities, the coalition urges parties to support community-driven zero waste solutions that secure green jobs, stimulate local economies, and reduce climate and air pollution. Beyond Plastic's recent and timely report “The New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change” highlights the significant contribution of the plastics industry to the climate crisis. The report indicates that the U.S. plastic industry's contribution to climate change is on track to exceed that of coal-fired power in the country by 2030.

As we consider how to adapt the travel and tourism industry to meet the challenge of climate change, it is important to consider the role that plastic and waste plays in contributing to our broader climate crisis. Throughout the value chain from when oil and gas is extracted through the manufacturing of plastic at petrochemical facilities and ultimately through consumption and disposal, the plastic industry releases greenhouse gas emissions and many other harmful toxins that pollute the air and water of disproportionately low-income fenceline communities.

The tourism sector has the power to take action by reducing reliance on single-use plastics that are habitually used in foodservice, accommodations, and hospitality. Support local economies by investing in local products with minimal packaging, participating in networks of reuse, and opting for repurposed materials. Reduce waste generated on-site including food waste, and divert organics by composting. Organic waste such as food scraps decompose slowly in landfills and emit methane, a greenhouse gas more than 25 times more effective at trapping heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide (U.S. EPA). This can be avoided by properly composting organic waste and creating nutrient rich soil amendments that can nourish the soil, support food security, and prevent erosion. These solutions and many more do exist, and the tourism sector can step up as a leader in the climate movement to demonstrate the action that travelers are demanding and starting to expect. According to a forthcoming global study of more than 27,000 respondents by GlobeScan and BBMG, Radically Better Future: The Next Gen Reckoning Report, six in ten respondents under age 30 say the priority for the post-pandemic recovery should be restructuring society to deal with challenges including inequality and climate change, rather than just getting our economy back to normal as soon as possible.

Oceanic Global recently launched our Blue Standard (Blue) to empower global industries and businesses of all sizes to achieve measurable impact that protects our blue planet, and to establish universal accountability for sustainable business leadership. Blue offers a 3-Star verification for business operations in the tourism and hospitality sector alongside open-source resources, step-by-step auditing and consultation support, and buying deals with vetted vendors to help businesses eliminate single-use plastics and operate sustainably.

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