There is no doubt that decades of cheap sun holidays have got us hooked on flying – and even in the face of a climate emergency that none but the most ardent of deniers can ignore, we show no signs of stopping.
You might think that, as we launch a new campaign to promote more responsible travel here at The Standard, I’d be endorsing a total ban on air travel.
But I’m not. Why? Because sustainability is not just about carbon footprints. Despite the enormous pressure that emissions from flying place on the environment, travel is one of the most effective tools for climate solutions, and the power of tourism to support sustainability on a global scale cannot be underestimated.
For starters, tourism is a massive employer in less-developed countries. One in 10 people are employed in tourism worldwide, according to the WTTC, and without this cash injection, more rural communities around the world would collapse as young people leave and seek work in overburdened cities.
Travellers themselves can actively drive positive environmental change through the holidays they choose, whether that’s a luxury safari that helps protect local animal populations, rewilding sanctuaries that aim to turn back the clock on dwindling biodiversity, or citizen-science trips where guests can get hands-on with the restoration of coral reefs. I’m sure you’ll agree these all sound like fantastic trips – nothing like the tree-hugging eco stereotype.
Picking a better option for “people and the planet” needn’t mean giving up the fun stuff
That’s what The New Standard for Sustainable Travel is all about. Our intention is to highlight how picking a better option for “people and the planet” (to use that oh-so hackneyed phrase) needn’t mean giving up the fun stuff, or forgoing the kind of convenience you’re used to. Through this campaign, we want to tool you up to make better choices, and highlight how even small tweaks in how you travel really help.
To that end, we’ve brought in the best smart-travel experts to spill the secrets on the best sustainable escapes, sharing their expertise on how planning, packing and the decisions you make on the ground can all make for more responsible trips. We’ve heard from academics who can explain better than I can how your behaviour can help other communities build climate resilience, and how impact-led urban adventures are as relevant as woodland retreats. And we’re going to be meeting some of the most inspirational people making the travel industry more eco friendly.
There’s a huge amount you can do, and as the popular supermarket slogan goes: every little helps. Of course, you can consider taking the train – an experience that can enhance rather than diminish a trip. Or visit retreats run by Indigenous peoples. They may make up only 5 per cent of the world’s population, yet they are responsible for lands that are home to 80 per cent of the Earth's biodiversity, according to WWF. Or head for one of the Europe’s last tracts of virgin forest in Romania, or the lagoons of western Albania, where the words ’nature positive’ are anything but lip service.
We’re not saying we have all the answers or that everybody will be happy with our suggestions. Even when your holiday involves pitching a tent in a reserve that’s walkable from home, where you cook vegan food on a fire made from rubbing two sticks together, there will still be somebody ready to pop out from the bushes to point out that your tent was likely made by forced-labour workers in a factory in Asia and shipped over in a container ship powered by fossil fuels.
But whether you’re dipping a toe into eco-curiosity (maybe your kids are nagging you to be climate-friendlier), or you want to relax in the same way you always have, we'll be steering you towards better ways to wander. And if you take one thing from us, it should be this: there are many, many ways to be a more sustainable traveller.
So rather than giving in to impulse and booking a fly and flop to escape the doom and gloom of eco-anxiety, how's about spending a few minutes thinking about your choices? With just a few small rethinks, we can all have a better time knowing we are part of making the world a better place through our escapes.
Read more on our campaign at https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/sustainable-travel
