Gothenburg Signs the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism

The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism will be launched on November 4th, and in connection with the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 currently taking place in the UK. Gothenburg is one of the signatories that undertakes to accelerate climate actions to reduce global tourism emissions by at least half in the coming decade and reach net zero emissions as soon as possible before 2050.

“Gothenburg has just been named the world’s most sustainable destination for the fifth time in a row and it is obvious that we will sign the Glasgow Declaration. Actors in the hospitality industry in the Gothenburg region work continuously with the goal of being a sustainable destination as early as 2030. With the declaration, we can add concrete measures on a global level, together with other destinations and organizations,” says Peter Grönberg, CEO of Gothenburg & Co.

The Glasgow Declaration has been produced by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in collaboration with over 30 organizations. Each signatory has agreed to deliver or update climate action plans with 12 months, align plans with the five pathways of the Declaration (Measure, Decarbonise, Regenerate, Collaborate, Finance), report publicly on an annual basis, and work in a collaborative spirit, sharing good practices and solutions, and disseminating information.

“Signing the Glasgow Declaration is both a statement and a commitment to act. It gives us additional conditions for collaboration with future-oriented destinations to find and share smart climate solutions. Both tourism and the climate crisis are global, and the hospitality industry will be hit hard if we do not act now. It requires both our own and joint efforts to reduce emissions and rebuild nature’s systems,” says Katarina Thorstensson, head of sustainability and smart tourism at Gothenburg & Co.