ETOA Webinar | Climate action and tourism: turning plans into practice

Climate action and tourism: turning plans into practice

Watch this practical discussion about the travel industry and climate action with a panel of experts on carbon reduction, sectoral advocacy and consultancy. They provide current insight into what organisations of all sizes can do, and talk through the challenges and opportunities as plans turn into action.

While more companies are ‘declaring’ a climate emergency, many of those will not have developed a climate action plan. (For ETOA’s recent commentary on its climate action plan, see here.) In current economic circumstances, finding management time to prioritise climate action can be a challenge but there is plenty of support, especially for small businesses.

Following the Glasgow Declaration at COP26, which commits to halving carbon emissions by 2030, supporting organisations like ETOA are working with partners to support the climate action needed to deliver sufficient progress.

For European operators, there is the possibility of participating in a funded programme SUSTOUR, which covers all aspects of sustainability. ETOA is working with SUSTOUR to develop a carbon-focused module for companies prioritising that element of sustainability. Companies eligible to receive the funded support must be established in an EU Member State or a third country participating in the COSME programme, being Iceland, the UK, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania or Turkey. More information is provided during the webinar.

Panellists:

• Shannon Guihan, Chief Sustainability Officer & Head of TreadRight, The Travel Corporation​​​​​​
• Jeremy Smith, Co-founder, Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency & Climate Specialist, The Travel Foundation
• Laura Selenz, Sustainability Coach and Project Coordinator, SUSTOUR
• Patrick Richards, Co-founder, Terraverde Sustainability

The session was moderated by Tim Fairhurst, General Secretary, ETOA.