Our half-year Climate Update supplies a behind the scenes glimpse on how we’re advancing our local weather motion.
Welcome to the primary of our mid-year Climate Update that takes a have a look at our aim to scale back world emissions consistent with a 1.5°C future. In 2018, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned of the specter of permitting world temperatures to rise greater than 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures.
Last yr, as a part of our Ethical Marketing Guidelines, we made a dedication to enhance the extent of transparency round our local weather motion work. You’ve most likely seen there’s no scarcity of firms committing to bold local weather objectives, however a lot of them provide little by the use of transparency into how they’re making significant strides annually.
While we publish this info yearly in our built-in annual report, we felt it was necessary to share the small print on all of the local weather work taking place all year long. We’d love to listen to what you assume! Drop us a line at accountability@intrepidtravel.com.
1. Our journeys and places of work: Carbon emissions replace
Ongoing (anticipated This fall 2022)
Each yr, Intrepid measures how a lot carbon our enterprise generates – that features our 1,150+ journeys and 40+ places of work across the globe. This is a core a part of our decarbonization plan as we are able to solely scale back what we measure.
Last yr, we modified the best way we measure emissions from journeys to make sure we get an correct view of how we carried out in contrast with earlier years.
Previously, we averaged out emissions by area and journey type, however we’ve modified our method to take a look at emissions on the particular person journey degree. It’s a giant job, and it’s taking somewhat longer than we anticipated, however there are massive advantages to altering the best way we measure our journey emissions. By calculating emissions for each particular person journey, accounting for carbon emissions from lodging, transport, actions and included meals, we’ll actually perceive the place we are able to make enhancements.
We’re additionally eager to grasp what this new manner of measuring every journey tells us about modifications we’ve already made to itineraries, akin to eradicating short-haul flights from some journeys, utilizing e-vehicles the place we are able to and travelling by practice.
Trip emissions for final yr will probably be printed right here so keep tuned for extra.
2. Our journeys: Introduced new plant-based meals
Completed April 2022
One of the methods we are able to scale back carbon emissions on our journeys is thru the meals which are included. In truth, in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, plant-based meals and diets are one of many greatest alternatives the world has to restrict local weather change.
Now each certainly one of our twenty-one Real Food Adventures embody no less than one plant-based meal expertise. Not solely do travellers get to strive a tasty, contemporary meal, plant-based choices additionally include a a lot decrease carbon footprint than animal proteins. The local weather impression of plant-based meals is usually 10 to 50 occasions smaller than that of animal merchandise.
That means scrumptious meals which are additionally higher for the planet.
3. Our staff: Citizen science in assist of nature
December 2021 and May 2022
Through the Intrepid Foundation’s companion Blue Carbon Lab, forty members of our Melbourne/Narrm* staff have had the chance to contribute to the regeneration of coastal wetlands of mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses – also referred to as blue carbon. Blue carbon performs an necessary position in carbon discount, as a result of it truly attracts down carbon thirty to fifty occasions quicker than bushes and locks it away within the floor.
Reducing carbon emissions and slowing the speed of worldwide warming is vital – however we additionally recognise that preserving and regenerating nature is simply as important.
Our staff could have one other alternative to assist nature with Blue Carbon Lab later this yr.
4. Our staff and places of work: Engagement on local weather motion
Ongoing, January – June 2022
We imagine sustainability begins with our personal tradition and groups. During the primary half of 2022, our groups around the globe have engaged in local weather motion and sustainability and superior their particular person motion in quite a few methods.
Our world environmental impression supervisor hosted a collection of one-to-one local weather advocacy classes with six places of work around the globe to encourage and educate round local weather motion. Two hundred and 5 members of our staff (or about 30 per cent) have attended. Other actions and enhancements embody:
- Our new Toronto workplace location was chosen with sustainability standards in thoughts, together with proximity to public transport to scale back emissions from commuting by way of automobile.
- We launched an improved recycling waste administration program in Thailand.
- Organic waste assortment and use of wastewater from water filtration was launched in India.
- We accomplished our first airport transfers utilizing electrical automobiles in Sri Lanka – the primary time we’ve used this expertise in that nation.
5. Our business: Advocacy
Ongoing, January – June 2022
As world journey reopened by means of 2022, the journey business has quickly shifted into rebuilding operational capability.
At the identical time, Intrepid has endeavored to take care of business advocacy on local weather change wherever doable. Several senior leaders from throughout our world groups spoke on sustainability at business occasions.
This included a digital keynote by our world environmental impression supervisor who selected to ‘visit’ Tourism Victoria’s IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference in British Colombia, Canada, by way of a digital hyperlink, to avoid wasting on a long-haul flight and the related carbon emissions.
Intrepid continued to assist quite a few business associations and teams, together with the Adventure Travel Trade Association, the UK’s Institute of Travel and Tourism and the Glasgow Declaration Capacity Building Working Group, amongst others.
In the second half of this yr, we proceed to embed lower-carbon experiences and inclusions in new journeys, guided by our 2021 journey emissions information, and sit up for welcoming a brand new Indigenous objective specialist position to our staff.
Our built-in annual report will probably be printed in April 2023 and our subsequent Climate Update in June 2023.
*Narrm is the Aboriginal identify for Melbourne and comes from Woi Wurrung, the language spoken by the normal homeowners of the town and its surrounds. Tourism Australia has adopted Aboriginal twin naming for capital cities in Australia and we’re happy to acknowledge Australia’s First Nations cultures and histories on this manner.