Saturday 14 January 2012

Global Tourism Body Urges Governments To Develop Climate Change Policies

 
During the recent International Climate Change Negotiations in Durban, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) issued a communiqué that stressed the need for governments to formulate clear strategies to combat climate change.

Policies were needed, said the WTTC’s message, to ensure that travel and tourism can grow sustainably and continue to provide millions of new jobs across the planet, regardless of whether an agreement is reached in Durban.

As one of the world’s largest industries, generating more than 9% of global gross domestic product and accounting for some 260 million jobs worldwide, the WTTC pointed out that the continued growth of the travel and tourism industry is critical to the economic and social wellbeing of millions of people. As such, it is a key driver of economic recovery and, therefore, has an immense role to play in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

To help governments expand on the sustainable policy structure needed, WTTC called for: supportive and progressive policy frameworks; programmes that foster innovation; investment in transparent reporting, measuring and verification systems; incentives to promote efficiency improvements; empowerment of citizens to purchase and consume responsibly; and inclusion of travel and tourism in mitigation and adaptation programs.

“The travel and tourism industry recognises that everyone has a part to play in combating climate change,” said WTTC president and chief executive David Scowsill. “Leaders in the industry have already made a commitment to halve carbon emissions by 2035 (on 2005 levels), as set out in WTTC’s Leading the Challenge on Climate Change report published in 2009, and there are many examples across the industry of how this is being achieved.

“Furthermore, the industry is also keen to be not only a partner to government, but also a resource for policy development and implementation. Together, we can achieve a low-carbon, climate resilient world economy.”

Scowsill emphasised that a concerted effort is needed to develop a common solution that can be embraced by the travel and tourism industry, governments, and consumers worldwide to tackle this global problem in a coordinated fashion. He added that while progress in Durban would go a long way in providing clarity internationally, the responsibility still remains on national governments to develop the policies needed to ensure that the industry achieves low-carbon growth.

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