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08 Jun 2022 by Susan Deer
Susan Deer, director of industry relations at Abta, shares an overview on the current state of the travel industry’s carbon emissions and its efforts to reduce them
All industries need to look at reducing their carbon emissions, and the travel industry is no exception.
Decarbonisation starts with understanding your carbon footprint. Understanding the emissions from within your own business is the minimum, such as any fuel or electricity use, or any release of coolant from air conditioners.
Increasingly businesses are identifying emissions in their supply chain that they can measure and reduce, as well as those they are directly responsible for. There are a number of freely available tools to help businesses do this, most of which are based on figures from Defra. Intrepid Travel and Exodus Travels are among the Abta members who have set their own science-based reduction targets.
ALL TOGETHER NOW
Real reductions are happening right now, across the industry, including in aviation, cruise, ground transport, accommodation, restaurants and other food suppliers and excursions.
The UK aviation sector has already begun to make progress on the decoupling of passenger growth from emission increases, for example, between 2010 and 2016 passenger numbers rose by more than 25% while total emissions increased by less than 5%.
Progress to date has been achieved through activities such as more efficient aircraft, more efficient flying and greater fuel efficiency.
Abta travel agents and tour operators are represented in our membership of Sustainable Aviation, which has developed a roadmap to reduce aviation net carbon emissions levels from just over 30 million tonnes of CO2 per year down to zero by 2050. The approach is supported by interim decarbonisation targets of at least 15% by 2030 and 40% by 2040.
The global cruise industry has committed to reduce the rate of carbon emissions across the industry fleet by 40% before 2030, compared with a 2008 baseline, by improving the efficiency of existing ships; investing in a modern, more fuel-efficient, fleet; using alternative fuels; and reducing waste. Fleet innovations include Carnival Corporation & plc launching a number of ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), including Iona and Arvia for P&O Cruises. Hurtigruten has introduced three battery hybrid powered ships and MSC Cruises is exploring ships powered by hydrogen.
Hotels are also tackling emissions. Abta runs Travelife for Accommodation, the sustainability certification scheme that promotes sustainability in close to a thousand hotels around the world, including carbon reduction and energy saving. Initiatives some hotels are implementing include all electrical energy from renewables, replacement of heating oil boilers with heat pumps and investment in electric vehicles and carts.
Travel companies and hotels are looking at how to reduce emissions from food, whether by reducing food waste, using local produce or promoting more vegetarian and vegan options, which typically have a lower carbon footprint. Der Touristik Hotels and Resorts’ affiliate Iti Asterias Beach Resort in Rhodes achieved a 25% reduction in food waste through initiatives such as a pre-order system for the a-la-carte restaurant, live cooking to complement buffets and educating guests about having a more conscious approach towards food.
For more information on how to reduce carbon emissions and offset travel, visit the TTG Sustainable Travel Heroes hub.