Fairbnb.coop is proud to be a signatory and launch partner of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, which was drafted by UNWTO, UNEP, Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, The Travel Foundation and VisitScotland. The text of the Glasgow Declaration was further developed and improved in consultation with a diverse range of travel and tourism stakeholders, including private sector actors, international organisations, NGOs and academia.
The intent of the Glasgow Declaration is to urge and enable all travel and tourism stakeholders to sign and demonstrate, for the first time as a united sector, a shared voice and commitment to aligning the sector’s climate ambitions with scientific recommendations and international agreements. As the Declaration states:

“A just transition to Net Zero before 2050 will only be possible if tourism’s recovery accelerates the adoption of sustainable consumption and production, and redefines our future success to consider not only economic value but rather the regeneration of ecosystems, biodiversity and communities.”

Fairbnb.coop is already active in promoting close-to-home holidays. We are activating many scattered hosts, connected to national projects: in the countries where we are present, like Italy, this allows travelers to organize vacations without using excessively polluting means of transport.

By signing the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, we are stepping forward to accelerate climate action in tourism and support the global commitment to cut tourism emissions. Beyond the primary objectives of the Glasgow Declaration, signatories are also expected to:

• Lead by example driving action, sharing knowledge, and catalyzing collaborative action throughout the sector.
• Raise awareness about the urgency for the tourism sector to take action and play its role as an agent of change.

Join us to find out how you too can be a part of the solution to climate action!

What is the aim of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism?

The Glasgow Declaration aims to unite everyone in the tourism sector around a common set of pathways for climate action, by:

• defining a clear and consistent sector-wide message and approach to climate action in the coming decade, aligned with the wider scientific framework and urgency to act now;
• outlining the pathways and specific actions that will accelerate tourism’s ability to transform tourism and achieve Net Zero as soon as possible;
• encouraging signatories across all sectors of tourism to demonstrate their public support for scaling up the sector’s response to the climate emergency.

What do the signatories commit to?

By becoming signatory of the Glasgow Declaration, Fairbnb.coop commits to:

• Support the global commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050;
• Deliver climate action plans within 12 months from becoming a signatory (or updating existing plans), and begin implementing them;
• Align their plans with the five pathways of the Declaration (Measure, Decarbonise, Regenerate, Collaborate, Finance) to accelerate and co-ordinate climate action in tourism;
• Report publicly on an annual basis on progress against interim and long-term targets, as well as on actions being taken;
• Work in a collaborative spirit, sharing good practices and solutions, and disseminating information to encourage additional organizations to become signatories and supporting one another to reach targets as quickly as possible.

What are the five pathways defined in the Glasgow Declaration?

1.  Measure: Measure and disclose all travel and tourism-related emissions.
2. Decarbonise: Set and deliver science-based targets to accelerate tourism’s decarbonisation.
3.  Regenerate: Restore and protect ecosystems, supporting nature’s ability to draw down carbon, as well as safeguarding biodiversity, food security, and water supply.
4.  Collaborate: Share evidence of risks and solutions with all stakeholders and our guests, and work together to ensure our plans are as effective and co-ordinated as possible.
5.  Finance: Ensure organisational resources and capacity are sufficient to meet objectives set out in climate plans. The detailed pathways are available in the Glasgow Declaration.

How does the Glasgow Declaration contribute to a responsible recovery from the COVID-19 crisis?

The Glasgow Declaration aims to act as a catalyst for increased urgency across travel and tourism about the need to accelerate climate action during COVID-19 recovery and beyond. The tourism sector is highly vulnerable to climate change and at the same time contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), which cause global warming. Accelerating climate action in tourism is therefore of utmost importance for the resilience of the sector. Climate action is understood as the effort to measure and reduce GHG emissions and strengthen adaptive capacity to climate-induced impacts.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a 7% reduction of GHG emissions globally in 2020, providing a tangible reference to the magnitude of the effort still ahead in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, which will require around 7% reduction of emissions on an annual basis throughout the next decade.
According to UNWTO/ITF latest research, released in December 2019 at UNFCCC COP25, CO2 emissions from tourism are forecasted to increase by 25% by 2030 from 2016 levels, against the current ambition scenario. Therefore, the need to scale up climate action in tourism remains urgent as emissions could rapidly rebound once operations restart and, ultimately, the cost of inaction with regards to climate will be in the long run larger than the cost of any other crisis.

The One Planet network Sustainable Tourism Programme

The need for a globally consistent approach for climate action in tourism, expressed by the Glasgow Declaration, has been made clear, notably through research into CO2 emissions carried out by UNWTO/ITF and released at the UNFCCC COP25 in December 2019. This showed that transport-related emissions from tourism were forecast to increase by 25% by 2030 from 2016 levels, against the current ambition scenario.
In 2020, the One Planet Vision for a responsible recovery of the tourism sector was adopted with the aim of emerging from the COVID-19 crisis both stronger and more sustainable. Climate action is a central element of the Vision, which calls for monitoring and reporting CO2 emissions from tourism, promoting the introduction of science-based targets, accelerating the decarbonisation of tourism operations, and engaging the tourism sector in carbon removal.
The One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme has the overall objective to enhance the sustainable development impacts of the tourism sector by 2030, by developing, promoting and scaling up sustainable consumption and production practices that boost the efficient use of natural resources while producing less waste and addressing the challenges of climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution. The Sustainable Tourism Programme is part of the One Planet network, a multi-stakeholder partnership to implement SDG 12 on Sustainable Consumption and Production.