The main national public policies on climate change and tourism in Brazil (between 2003 and 2022) were analyzed in an article recently published in the Brazilian Journal of Tourism Research (RBTUR). The article, entitled Climate agenda and tourism in Brazil: contributions to public policies for adaptation to climate change is the result of our work started in the discipline of Climate Change at CDS/UnB [1] . Public policies aimed at the challenges of the climate emergency and the adaptation measures necessary for the tourism sector made little progress until 2022. Check out some highlights From the article:
● International guidelines and national policies for climate change mitigation and adaptation in tourism are essential strategies to prevent disasters, promote climate justice, and to support local initiatives – in addition to their role in leading private sector engagement.
● It was found that there is a low level of integration between climate policies and tourism policies.
● The sector's lack of engagement in climate issues was observed, in addition to Brazil's lack of protagonism in international dialogues on climate change and tourism until 2022.
● Suggestions for future research were: understanding the concrete effects of multilateral agreements on tourism and climate change; assess and monitor the impacts of its implementation to address climate challenges; evaluate possible changes due to the 2023-2026 government's prioritizations and approaches.
However, in 2023, in a year marked by the historic drought in Amazonas (post #LETS on the topic here ), torrential rains in the south of Brazil and record temperatures (heat waves) in several regions, it is observed that these extreme phenomena are increasingly affecting the choices of tourists. The Booking 'Travel Predictions for 2024' survey launched in November (2023) highlighted that 70% of respondents indicated a preference for cooler destinations in relation to the temperature of their city of origin.
It is worth mentioning some Brazilian cases of climate engagement, with emphasis on the city of Bonito-MS, a reference in ecotourism, the first destination in this segment certified as carbon neutral in the world (Câmara, 2023) and signatory of the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action and Tourism, in addition to airlines and their policies and initiatives to reduce and offset GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.
The three main aviation companies operating in the Brazilian domestic market - Azul, Latam and Gol - follow the global behavior, and adopt sustainability policies and ESG actions ( Environmental, Social and Governance ) that combine investment in solutions to reduce GHG emissions, offset actions, and reduce emissions, with investments in fleet modernization, development of technologies for aircraft and biofuels, support for restoration projects, route adjustments, and voluntary compensation programs for passengers (Azul, 2023; Gol, 2023; Latam, 2023).
From the point of view of public tourism policies, 2023 ends with news, albeit incipient. Specific areas were created to work with climate challenges in different federal government agencies. Actions for adaptation and mitigation to climate change were the subject of three recent publications in the sector:
● Climate Action Guide for Businesses and Tourist Destinations , launched by Embratur and Green Initiative;
● Didactic notebook Moving towards resilience in tourism - Crisis and disaster management;
● Climate Action in Tourism in Brazil: First Steps Towards a National Climate Action Plan for Brazilian Tourism , the Ministry of Tourism and the Inter-American Development Bank.
In addition, the three most important awards in the tourism sector in the country, WTM Latin America Responsible Tourism Award, the National Tourism Award 2023 - tourism transforming lives and the Braztoa Sustainability Award 23/24 contain categories or evaluation criteria connected to climate change mitigation and adaptation actions. The shortlists of the awards, now available at Sites of the different organizers, present examples of (punctual) initiatives across the country.
The UN Climate Summit, COP-28, in Dubai - United Arab Emirates, is being held from November 30 to December 12, 2023. "This is a critical moment for multilateral engagement," said UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. On December 5th, an event focused on tourism will be held (with live broadcast), the side-event Tourism United for Climate Action – Delivering on the Commitments of the Glasgow Declaration - Check out the full schedule here .
Thus, in the collective fight against the climate emergency, the role of the Academy, integrated and in partnership with society, the private sector and public management, is fundamental. Both to foster the production of knowledge that collaborates to mitigate and enable ways to adapt to the climate emergency, and to raise awareness of new key actors on this much-needed topic, promoting climate justice (post LETS here ).
Full article available for free at: https://rbtur.org.br/rbtur/article/view/2759/1570
More information and references:
Gil, J., Marques, N. R., & Andrade, G. N. de. (2023). Climate agenda and tourism in Brazil: contributions to public policies for adaptation to climate change. Brazilian Journal of Tourism Research , 17 , 2759. https://doi.org/10.7784/rbtur.v17.2759
Booking (2023). Take a look at the future: we've revealed our travel predictions for 2024. https://partner.booking.com/pt/click-magazine/trends-insights/2024-travel-predictions
Brazil. Ministry of Tourism. Research reveals how climate change will influence the behavior of Brazilian travelers. https://www.gov.br/turismo/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/pesquisa-revela-como-as-mudancas-climaticas-irao-influenciar-o-comportamento-dos-viajantes-brasileiros
Climate Action in Tourism in Brazil: First Steps Towards a National Climate Action Plan for Brazilian Tourism: Https://www.gov.br/turismo/pt-br/centrais-de-conteudo-/publicacoes/BID_Acao_Climatica_Turismo_VFinal2.pdf
BLUE. The Sky is Blue: Sustainability Report 2022. Available at: <https://ri.voeazul.com.br/informacoes-e-relatorios/sustentabilidade/>. Accessed on: 2 set. 2023.
GOL AIRLINES. Sustainability Policy. Available at: <https://www.voegol.com.br/sobre-a-gol/sustentabilidade>. Accessed on: 2 set. 2023.
LATAM AIRLINES. Program a necessary destination. Available at: <https://www.latamairlines.com/br/pt/sustentabilidade>. Accessed on: 2 set. 2023
Climate Action Guide for Businesses and Tourist Destinations: https://embratur.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Guia-de-Acao-Climatica-para-Empresas-e-Destinos-Turisticos.pdf
Textbook Moving towards resilience in tourism - Crisis and disaster management: https://www.gov.br/turismo/pt-br/acesso-a-informacao/acoes-e-programas/turismo-responsavel/copy_of_CartilhacaminhandoparaaResilincianoTurismo.pdf
Responsible Tourism Award (wtm.com)
CÂMARA, J. Beautiful is the 1 or Carbon neutral ecotourism destination in the world . Available at: <https://g1.globo.com/ms/mato-grosso-do-sul/noticia/2023/08/07/bonito-e-o-1o-destino-de-ecoturismo-carbono-neutro-do-mundo-veja-atrativo-certificado.ghtml.>. Accessed on: 7 set. 2023.
United Nations. COP28: Critical moment in our collective fight against the climate crisis. COP28: Critical moment in our collective fight against the climate crisis | The United Nations in Brazil
Finalists – National Tourism Award 2023: https://www.gov.br/turismo/pt-br/acesso-a-informacao/acoes-e-programas/ResultadoDefinitivoFinalistasIniciativasdeDestaque.pdf
Finalists - Braztoa Sustainability Award 2023/2024: PBS 202324.pdf FINALIST CLASSIFIEDS - GOOGLE DRIVE
[1] We take this opportunity to publicly thank the tod@s who contributed and supported this research, especially the LETS/UnB members and participants of the LETS Meeting on Climate Change and Tourism and the professors of the Center for Sustainable Development of the University of Brasília (CDS/UnB), S. R. Pereira Filho, F. A. G. Mertens, J. A. L. Drummond and J. L. A. Franco. Thanks also to K. Ripoli for the revision of the English and Spanish. We are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and to all colleagues from the Climate Change and Scientific Writing Workshop disciplines at CDS/UnB.
