▲ COP29 Chairman Mukhtar Babaev (Photo = AP/Yonhap News)
An international initiative is being promoted to include the tourism industry, which accounts for 8.8% of global carbon emissions, in the National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target (NDC) and have it managed by the government.
At the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) being held in Baku, Azerbaijan on the 20th (local time), over 50 countries launched the ‘Declaration on Strengthening Climate Action in the Tourism Sector’.
The ‘Declaration of Strengthening Climate Action in the Tourism Sector’ aims to include the tourism industry in the NDC like the energy, industry, buildings, and agricultural, livestock and fisheries sectors. NDC is updated with strengthened goals every five years, and the submission deadline for ‘2035 NDC’ is February of next year. Therefore, the tourism sector can be directly linked to national carbon reduction goals as early as 2025.
According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the tourism sector accounts for 3% of global gross domestic product (GDP), and carbon emissions account for 8.8%. In particular, in developing countries, the tourism sector accounts for a large portion of foreign exchange earnings. In addition, the tourism industry has greater carbon emissions than its economic share, making it vulnerable to transition risk. It is also vulnerable to physical risks, such as flight disruptions due to hurricanes and damage to tourist destination infrastructure, including World Natural Heritage sites, due to heat waves or droughts.
Therefore, there is a need for the government to take action to minimize these risks and create a sustainable tourism industry. Above all, it is pointed out that since the tourism industry is intertwined with various industries such as lodging and aviation, government intervention is inevitable to increase transparency and efficiency.
Accordingly, the ‘World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’ (WSHA) proposed a methodology to measure and report data such as greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, waste, and energy usage throughout the hotel industry. WSHA is an alliance of hotel companies that operate 55,000 hotels and 7 million rooms around the world, including Accor, Hilton, and Marriott.
Regarding the launch of the tourism sector initiative, COP29 Chairman Mukhtar Babaev said, “Tourism is a major driver of economic growth and development, providing direct and indirect livelihoods to hundreds of millions of people, and is also a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions around the world, and is also responsible for the impact of the climate crisis. “It is very vulnerable,” he said, adding, “It is time to take action through creative and collaborative thinking not only for economic development but also for global sustainability.”
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How can government intervention help mitigate the impacts of climate change on tourism, particularly in developing countries?
World-today-news.com Editor: Good morning! Thank you for joining us today for this important interview regarding the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) and the ‘Declaration on Strengthening Climate Action in the Tourism Sector’. Today, we have two distinguished guests: Mr. Mukhtar Babaev, the Chairman of COP29, and Mr. Jae-won Park, the Director of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Mr. Babaev, as the Chairman of COP29, can you share with us the main goals of launching this initiative and how you hope it will impact the global tourism industry?
Mukhtar Babaev: Certainly, the main goal of launching this initiative is to bring the tourism industry under the umbrella of national greenhouse gas reduction targets. By doing so, we aim to have governments take a more active role in reducing the carbon footprint of the sector, which currently accounts for 8.8% of global emissions. We believe that by including the tourism industry in the NDC, we can create greater transparency and accountability, leading to more sustainable practices and ultimately, a more resilient industry. We hope that this will not only benefit the environment but also the economies that rely on the tourism sector.
Now, Mr. Park, as the Director of the UNWTO, can you provide more insights on the impact of climate change on the tourism industry and why it is crucial for the government to intervene?
Jae-won Park: Absolutely. Climate change poses a significant threat to the tourism industry, particularly in developing countries that heavily rely on it for economic growth. In addition to the direct impact on tourist destinations such as World Heritage sites, the industry is also vulnerable to disruptions in transportation, including flights. The sector’s emissions may be lower than its economic share, but they are disproportionately high. Thus, it is necessary for governments to step in and help create a sustainable model for tourism that minimizes these risks. By including the tourism industry in the NDC, they can create a roadmap for a greener future
