Understanding Carbon and Climate Emergency Planning with Dr Susanne Etti, Tourism Declares
The world’s largest adventure travel company first acknowledged the elephant in the room — travel’s hefty carbon footprint — in 2005. An initial inkling that the climate emergency needed to be tackled head-on, rather than brushed to one side, led to Intrepid becoming the world’s largest carbon-neutral travel company in 2010 and a founding signatory of Tourism Declares in 2020. It doesn’t stop there; this year Intrepid is the first tour operator to submit science-based carbon reduction targets.
To understand more about Intrepid’s carbon management journey, and how the industry can better collaborate, we chatted to Dr Susanne Etti, Environmental Impact Specialist for Intrepid Travel.
What motivated Intrepid to join Tourism Declares?
Intrepid’s climate crisis work goes way back to 2005 when senior managers read The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change by Tim Flannery. The book made Intrepid question how it could do more to limit its carbon footprint, and so we surveyed several thousand travellers across the globe and discovered that 91% wanted us to take definitive action on climate. Our customers – or potential customers – had spoken and we started to take practical steps. In 2010 we became the world’s largest carbon-neutral travel company.
Over the last 15-years, the need for action has grown more obvious year-on-year. Not only is the climate crisis leading to extreme weather events that threaten people and wildlife world over, but it is a significant threat to our business. So many of the destinations we love may well be destroyed by drought, fire, or other weather events over the next decade.
“So many of the destinations we love may well be destroyed by drought, fire, or other weather events over the next decade. ”
Tourism Declares is, therefore, a very natural progression for us. In 2018 we became the world’s largest certified travel B-Corp and we were looking for ways to share best practice and encourage more travel businesses to declare a climate emergency. When Jeremy and Alex approached us to help shape Tourism Declares, we didn’t hesitate for a moment.
Is declaring a climate emergency still important in light of the Covid-19 crisis?
Everyone has Covid-19 front of mind, of course, but it is so important that we don’t lose sight of the more significant crisis. Climate change is a larger and unsolvable threat—we’re not going to find a vaccine to reduce its impact.
“If anything, the Covid-19 crisis is highlighting how much more we could be doing to combat the climate crisis.”
If anything, the Covid-19 crisis is highlighting how much more we could be doing to combat the climate crisis. It’s proven what can be achieved when governments work together, find funding, and take action. It has also shown us how much is possible if we have the will to change.
What action has Intrepid taken since declaring a climate emergency?
We have been measuring our carbon emissions and offsetting what we can’t reduce since 2010. We continually review our trips and operations to work out where we can reduce our carbon emissions further.
Three notable projects this year are submitting a science-based emission reduction target for approval by the Science-Based Target Initiative, committing to our offices using 100% renewable energy by 2025, and publishing a complimentary 10 Steps to Decarbonise Your Travel Business guide.
“We’re the world’s first tour operator to set science-based targets and hope that more will follow suit.”
We’re the world’s first tour operator to set science-based targets and hope that more will follow suit. It means that we can set a carbon emissions reduction target at the pace and scale that science believes is necessary to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C. Now that we’ve calculated and submitted a science-based emissions reduction target, it is under review by the Science Based Targets Initiative. Watch this space for more details later this year.
Read the full interview here.
