Tourism & Travel in the Green Economy: TravelMole Q&A with UNWTO assistant secretary General Geoffrey Lipman
Q) The European Travel Commission and UNWTO Symposium on
Tourism & Travel in the Green Economy, to take place in Gothenburg and sponsored by VisitSweden on September 14-15. What is it about?
A) This event is an important element of the Davos Declaration Process and the Copenhagen Seal the Deal Imperative – it’s even more important as a small step in the strategic global transformation to a Green Economy .
Q) Please expand on that.
A) From the UN system to the OECD to the G20 – including pivotally China, India, Brazil and South Africa there is recognition of the imperative of:
– long term shift from fossil fuel to low cabon renewable energy
– resource and biodiversity conservation
– green consumption, production and accounting
– inclusion of all countries on a fair and equitable basis, with technology, capacity building and financing support for the poorest
– wide range of market and regulatory mechanisms to encourage efficiency and innovation
– linkage of environment technology and information communication technology to enable and mange the shift.
Q) What is OECD?
A) That’s the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. OECD is an international organisation helping governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalised economy.
Q) While you used the word ‘imperative’, practically speaking, how long of a process will these ‘imperative’ issues take to address?
A) We know this is a long term measured shift from now to 2050: we now it has to start fast with tough targets to stabilise the earth’s temperature at reasonable levels: we know it will have different levels of intensity for different countries for social and developmental reasons and for trade and poverty coherence: we know if we start now the cost and the pain will be tough but bearable – and that cost and consequence will increase exponentially with every procrastination: and we know we have no alternatives.
A) All countries and regions are important in this evolution and some are pivotal – Europe and the US because they have such massive impacts today in carbon output and leadership potential; China, India and Brazil because of their dynamic economic emergence and their population impacts; Africa, much of South America and Island States because of their vulnerabilty and at the same time their green potential.
Phil Davies
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