COP26: An opportunity to keep striving together for the planet

COP26 began with a message similar to past years, “this is our opportunity to save the planet”. However, according to the IPCC report, we are likely to rise above the 1.5o C target set at the Paris Agreement before 2040, which would lead to rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events such as heatwaves, wildfires, flooding, droughts, and many more.?This reality we are encountering demands for collective action.? Unfortunately, we have learned that we are not doing enough and we need to raise our level of ambition working all together: governments, businesses, and individuals alike.

Tourism and sustainability have always been part of my DNA and of Iberostar.?The capacity of tourism to take us to the most beautiful places of the world makes us realise the responsibility we have to take care of our future.?I want future generations to be able to live on a planet where they will not have to face the sadness of biodiversity loss or experience the negative impacts of climate change. Rather, I want tourism to allow future generations to interact with the beauty of nature, to dive in healthy coral reefs, to observe thriving marine wildlife, to respect local communities, and to understand the potential tourism has to bring solutions to the table.

I am sharing my vision not only as an individual who is passionate about oceans and nature but also as a member of a family business with over 60 years of experience in the Tourism Industry and with its origin dating back to 1877.? Our commitment to the oceans is anchored at the heart of Iberostar and is one of the pioneering ways we contribute towards a model of responsible tourism. Wave of Change was born as a movement intended to involve everyone (employees, clients, suppliers...) and promote a tourism model focused on caring for people and the environment. We are an organization that understands the value of science and is rooted in a strong scientific foundation, and we use that to form our decisions and actions on what is best for the oceans and the planet.

With a COP focused on climate change and reducing emissions, we continue with our determination to lead responsible tourism for travel and hospitality through our commitments. At the beginning of 2020, we presented our own strategic agenda looking towards 2030 and pledged to become carbon neutral by 2030 decarbonizing our company as much as possible, and contemplating the use of nature-based solutions in order to make that happen. We aim to reduce our energy consumption by at least 35% by 2030 relative to a 2019 baseline and will offset at least 75% of our remaining carbon footprint through nature-based solutions. For this journey, a key step will be electrification.?We are already putting our efforts into switching to electrified infrastructure in relevant areas such as our kitchens and cooling and heating systems of our hotels.? It also implies increasing renewable energy sourcing in all of our destinations and supporting to the best of our abilities the energy transition towards renewables. We know that for our objectives to prosper, we will need to rely on the use of science, data, technology, investments, clear roadmaps, and last but not least important behavior changes of all of our stakeholders. As an accommodation provider, one of the biggest areas where our carbon footprint comes from is through the goods and services we provide to our clients.? For this reason, we understand it to be of utmost importance to work with our supply chain so that our providers can join us on this journey.?

During COP26, we joined the Science Based Targets Initiative, aligned with the 1.5o C target to cut global emissions by half. I am also delighted to announce that Iberostar Group signed the Glasgow Declaration, a catalyst for increased urgency on the need to accelerate climate action in tourism and ensure strong action. What COP26 has demonstrated is, in fact, what unites us: the conviction that the roadmap to NetZero is vital for all of us and the necessity of collective action to work towards a common goal.

Tourism can be profitable, providing quality experiences, but it can also provide solutions at the same time, leaving a legacy for the future. Let's give it all our best to make the message a reality because I honestly believe we can do it and “this is our opportunity to save the planet”. We owe it to ourselves and the time is truly NOW.?