SUNx Malta and the China Biodiversity and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) co-hosted a session focused on Climate Change and Tourism at the UN Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) 2024 Summit. The collaboration, inspired by their mutual friend and mentor, the late Maurice Strong, also underscored the critical role China will play in the global response to the existential climate crisis.
Professor Geoffrey Lipman, President of SUNx Malta, delivered a keynote address highlighting the urgent need for climate action in the Tourism sector, particularly in the world’s most vulnerable countries. He pointed out that the crisis is evident in the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires, floods, air pollution, rising sea levels, intensifying droughts, and extreme weather patterns affecting tourism destinations and origin markets alike.
Lipman stressed that the crisis is most challenging and immediate for Small Island States, which have contributed the least to the problem but are the most exposed to its consequences. He called for the Tourism industry to take immediate action, quoting the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s recommendation to peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 to have any chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2050.
SUNx Malta’s initiatives, in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority, focus on the world’s poorest countries and small islands. These include creating the world’s first Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) post-graduate Diploma, establishing a Registry for Climate Action Plans, and launching social enterprises to strengthen the virtuous circle of Climate Friendly Travel – Paris1.5: SDG linked: Nature positive.
Lipman emphasized the danger posed by climate change deniers and status quo apologists, calling for honorable, clear-minded realists and leaders who prioritize the precautionary principle and the well-being of future generations. He expressed his delight in collaborating with CBCGDF, recognizing China’s potential to be a world leader in the necessary and urgent transformation.
The session served as a powerful reminder of the immediate need for collective action to address the climate crisis and its impact on the Tourism sector, particularly in Small Island and Developing States.
