The pandemic has detailed many facts. As well as in terms of travel and leisure time. According to the latest Sustainable Travel Report from Booking.com, 85% of tourists say they want to travel more sustainably in the next 12 months.
While 68% believe that the global energy crisis affects their budgets. This data supports the preparation of 30 to 40 plants that will start producing safe fuels in Spain, one of the most influential elements of the Paris Agreements regarding pollution and where the tourism industry has been hit hard. Digital platforms, when purchasing a ticket, actually inform tourists about the carbon footprint of their choice and some of the resources available to them that they should take into account when booking a flight. What increases this dilemma is the sustainability of flag lines: which are believed to belong to the state, but in most countries they have an artistic or referential meaning, without implying any national or political orientation.
Teresa Parejo is one of very few airline sustainability managers (and the only woman according to IATA). It has been at the forefront of these plans to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 in an innovative way. He was born in the Canary Islands, but lived there for only 5 years. He later settled in Madrid. Already at university he began studying law and business, although he would have liked to devote himself to fine arts.
“The business world didn’t interest me, so I transferred to Carlos III Public University and got my law degree,” he explains. He began his career at Red Elétrica de España, the company that monopolizes Spain’s high-voltage grid, while earning his Ph.D. “I started specializing in land and environment,” he says.
– That’s when he decided to emigrate…
– After a local economic crisis, I decided to accompany my husband to New York and obtained a research visa. I started interacting with very important people in the world of climate change. I started working with Jeffrey Sachs, who heads the United Nations Sustainable Development Network. It motivated me and I learned a lot. There I was brought back from Iberia to take charge of sustainability management.
Air travel is one of the most punishable trips under these conditions. What do you think can actually be done to change this outlook?
It is difficult to eliminate pollution in air tourism because it requires technology that is being developed now, but there are ways to significantly reduce emissions by improving the fleet or investing in a new, more modern fleet, where a profit of 35% is possible. efficiency. Travelers can help change this perspective by making better flight choices.
– What are your suggestions in this regard?
– Passengers can, for example, choose those that use sustainable fuels, which are increasingly used and can eliminate carbon emissions, thus reducing pollution, by up to 90%.
-Are we heading towards a traveler who will not buy tickets that do not respond to the effect of low pollution?
-I don’t think so yet. Sustainable aviation fuel SAF is still produced in small quantities and its price is very high. But with the new plants just announced, we will be able to meet the total fuel needs throughout Spain. At the same time, we are trying to accelerate awareness, especially among users, by conducting experiential trips that make the public realize the importance of their decisions in this regard. We focus our narrative on those new travelers looking for a more positive commitment from airlines.
Under his management, he was able to place himself in second place in the world in reducing carbon dioxide emissions in long-haul flights. How did they do it?
-We have decided to discontinue the least efficient aircraft, the A340, with four engines that consume more fuel and therefore produce more carbon dioxide. This decision allowed us, among other things, to reduce the number of grams of carbon dioxide emitted into the environment per passenger. If a traveler can recognize these changes, they will learn to choose their travels in a way that is less harmful to the planet. But the ultimate goal remains complete decarbonization, i.e. reaching the point where no carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere. Through these strategies, since 2019 we have succeeded in reducing our emissions by 17% per kilometer traveled on long-haul flights.
-Does the future come with electricity? Do you think travelers will view them favorably?
– It is something that is possible by 2030. It is the same green hydrogen, which end users are talking about so much. But it is a technology under investigation. The sustainable fuel could be used in the same aircraft we use today, with existing engines and the same airport infrastructure. I believe travelers will appreciate that their ticket has a much lower impact on pollution and faster, without having to wait for future developments, but choosing a flight today that is better for the planet and for them.
– Do you feel this new desire on the part of tourists?
-Without a doubt. They are becoming increasingly more informed, want a more personalized, digital experience in many operations, and are aware that they themselves generate a carbon footprint and bear their own responsibility in making their travels a more sustainable and inclusive proposition. In the 2030 Agenda, companies have a greater responsibility because their scope and impact on society is greater, but none of them can be separate from each other. Sustainability is a transformation project that can only be achieved with travelers.
-What does the passenger have to make their trip more sustainable?
– Choose companies with less impact. But if they want to go further, they can also use emissions offset tools. For example, in our case, we allow companies to offset emissions from their flights through two conservation projects, one in Guatemala and one in Peru. Taking an active stance on this is something we consider to be a crucial trend among the younger audience.
Special signs
Teresa Parejo (Tenerife, 1972), Doctor of Laws from Carlos III University of Madrid, and expert researcher in the field of climate change. He was part of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law in Colombia and COP-21 in Paris. He worked with Jeffrey Sachs at the United Nations Sustainable Development Network. Since 2019 she has worked as Director of Sustainability at Iberia. She is married and has two children, ages 17 and 15.
