Does eating one modestly sized (200g) steak produce 4x more carbon than skiing for 7 days in the premiere ski resorts of Val d'Isere, Courchevel and Les Arcs?
Seems unlikely right?! However, thanks to the work of the ecollective and participating ski resorts around Europe, we can now quantify exactly what the per person per day carbon impact of skiing actually is. And sure enough, a day of skiing in any of the Compagnie des Alpes resorts results in 0.4kg CO2e (2.8kg per week) compared to the 12kg CO2e you'll find in one 200g beef steak.
Over the past 25 years I've seen the ski industry take a lot of criticism for environmental impact and some (but certainly not all) has been justified. However, the game has changed massively and many resorts are investing at scale with some already powering all resort infrastructure via renewable energy and biofuels. As the numbers now attest, skiing, in itself, can be a very low carbon activity especially compared to other forms of tourism.
Like nearly every aspect of travel, the crux comes in travel to and from the destination and, to a lesser extent but still important, our choices with accommodation and food. On the back of another record-breaking year for Ski Solutions and unprecedented levels of demand for next season, we're focused on pushing boundaries to meet our climate targets and provide more choice than ever before for consumers to reduce their emissions. For 2024-5 our priorities are on:
*Reactivating pre-pandemic action plans to increase the number of itineraries accessible by train from/to the UK.
*Developing an inventory of the most carbon efficient aircraft and European routes
*Maximising the number of in-country transfers by train and electric vehicle
*Driven by data, highlighting those accommodation partners with the best carbon performance
*Showcasing those high performing ski resorts who are taking significant steps to reduce emissions.
For those in the know, these are all Scope 3 emissions and experience tells us this stuff isn't easy. However, we're clear that if we are to make good on our commitment of a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030, then real progress on these fronts in 2024-25 is both urgent and essential.
#climateaction #sustainability #skiing #carbonreduction #betterbusiness
Haha oh no! Sometimes you're in a pinch and NEED to buy something at the airport!