Sustainable tourism creates jobs, supports businesses
Tourism can benefit both ecosystems and communities in mountainous regions like the Himalaya range in India.
That’s the message from UN chief António Guterres on World Tourism Day observed on Sept. 27.
Tourism employs one in every 10 people on Earth, according to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
To protect tourism jobs, Guterres said governments and businesses must invest in sustainable and resilient practices, embrace renewable energy and better protect the “biodiversity and ecological balance” of all destinations.
The UN chief stressed that targeted investments can deliver jobs and support local businesses and industries while mitigating the environmental impacts of tourism.
“Investing in sustainable tourism is investing in a better future for all,” he said. UN News
Water ‘being taken for granted’—FAO chief
While some 2.4 billion people live in countries where the supply of water is limited, global water demand for agriculture is expected to increase by 35 percent up to 2050, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
“We must stop taking water for granted,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said last week at the opening of the Rome Water Dialogue, focused on its critical role relating to soils, land, climate change, biodiversity and agriculture.
With agriculture accounting for more than 70 percent of the planet’s freshwater withdrawals “by increasing efficiency, reducing negative impacts and reusing wastewater, agriculture holds the solutions to the global water crisis,” he said.UN News
Maritime transport must decarbonize ‘as soon as possible’
Action is urgently needed to combat surging carbon emissions in the shipping industry, the UN trade and development body UNCTAD said on Wednesday.
UNCTAD prior to the recent World Maritime Day on September 28 called for cleaner fuels, digital solutions and clear and universal carbon regulations in an industry accounting for over 80 percent of the world’s trade volume, in which emissions have risen by one fifth over the past decade.
The trade body’s Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan stressed that maritime transport needs to decarbonize “as soon as possible,” while ensuring economic growth.
“Balancing environmental sustainability, regulatory compliance and economic demands is vital for a prosperous, equitable and resilient future for maritime transport,” she said.
Investment in green technologies is urgent as nearly 99 per cent of the global shipping fleet still relies on conventional fuels, and commercial vessels are on average over 22 years old.
UNCTAD reported that up to an additional $28 billion will be required annually to decarbonize ships by 2050 and up to $90 billion will be needed each year to develop infrastructure for entirely carbon-neutral fuels by 2050.
Full decarbonization could double annual fuel expenses, potentially affecting small island developing states and least developed countries that rely heavily on maritime transport. UN News