Tony Juniper, one of the world’s leading ecologists and former Director of Friends of the Earth, implored the industry to show global leadership at the opening of the 2010 WTM World Responsible Tourism Day.
Hundreds of delegates crowded into ExCeL London Platinum Suite 4 or watched on one of the giant screens as Juniper served up inspiration, praise for the industry and a ringing call to action.
“Your industry”, he said, “is at the very centre of this ever tighter vortex of cause and effect.
“Transport emissions from planes, habitat damage caused by hotel construction, airports, roads, the generation of waste in countries that rely on landfill, depletion of freshwater and sewage pollution causing damage to coral reefs and other sensitive regions are among the vast array of impacts associated with your businesses.
“All this is tied up with a complex web of social and economic issues as countries seek to attract inward investment and create employment opportunities, including tourism.”
Juniper, co-author of a book with HRH Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne, pondered on what change the industry needs in the next 15 years to achieve greater sustainability.
“Technology is key”, he said. “A lot of what we need is already invented and now must be deployed at scale. Energy efficient buildings, renewable power and heating systems, water efficient appliances and electric vehicles all exist already and will be joined by other technologies in the years ahead, especially as incentives introduced by governments begin to shift behaviour by changing the commercial viability of emerging technologies.
“Aircraft design is changing too, with new planes offering savings in both emissions per passenger kilometre and in operating costs as well”.
“Alongside technology there is a great deal your industry could do in making greener tourism more attractive. Your collective global communications spend runs to billions of dollars per year and could be a powerful factor in shaping cultural norms to the point where green is seen as normal rather than alternative. I recognise that this is a big ‘ask’. While these changes present uncertainty and risk, for enlightened leaders there is also a huge opportunity.
“The simple fact is that there is a huge business case for action.”
“But why show leadership? Why step out and take risks that others are not prepared to bear” asked Juniper.
“The world is changing like never before”, continued Juniper. “While these changes present uncertainty and risk, for enlightened leaders, there is also a huge opportunity.
“Ask yourself what you expect the world will be like in 2020? Will tourism be like it is now or will it be greener and what we might describe as more responsible?
“If that is the direction of travel we can expect, driven by science, policy and public acceptance of the need for change, an ecologically responsible approach toward business development is the only sensible way forward.”
