Hello 2022: Hello Code Red, Climate Friendly Travel

Goodbye 2021
Despite the permanent drama of an intensifying pandemic, 2021 also underscored the magnitude of our creeping, existential global climate crisis.

Weather extremes decimated communities on all continents: Crazy floods in Europe and Canada; Massive forest fires in the US and Australia; Droughts in Africa; Typhoons in the Pacific and the Atlantic; and growing numbers of climate refugees around the world.

COP 26, in November, kept climate on the public agenda. We saw a Glasgow Tourism Declaration and at SUNx we unveiled a Code Red, Plan for our Kids, calling for our sector to go further, faster. It calls for a clear 50% less carbon emissions by 2030: and absolute Zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) by 2050; including the more potent methane, sulphur and nitrous compounds. And it’s absolute zero not some vague “net”, kick the can down the 2050 road.

It comes with a UN-linked CFT Registry for the SDG/climate plans of tourism companies & communities; SDG 17 Partners for support services; trained graduate Strong Climate Champions to help navigate the new transformation terrain; and a distinct eco badge for travellers.

We took this high-ambition approach, not to be alarmist but based on science, weather, and young climate activists’ reality checks.

According to the IEA, global GHG emissions in 2021 increased nearly 5% over 2020. We already hit 1.2° C of our Paris target after only five years. We are headed towards 3° C at this rate, which is inhospitable for human and animal life. And this without any “feedback loops”, like splitting of major Greenland or Antarctic ice sheets and associated, dramatic sea level rises.

Hello 2022
We will continue to ring our Code Red Alarm Bell for COP 27 in Egypt in November ... continue reading this "GT" Partner message at https://goodtourismblog.com/2022/01/hello-2022-hello-code-red-climate-friendly-travel/