by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:50 AM ET, Thu October 22, 2020
Intrepid Travel announced Thursday it had become the first tour operator in the world with verified science-based targets, with its 2035 emissions reduction targets being approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
As part of Intrepid's efforts, the small group adventure travel company will seek to reduce emissions across its operations and trips, replacing transportation options on many of its itineraries with lower-carbon alternatives.
Beyond the changes being made on existing tours, Intrepid will expand its newly launched range of closer-to-home trips to over 100 itineraries in 2021, providing tour options that will require fewer flights for domestic travelers.
In addition, the company vowed to reduce international business travel, procure renewable electricity and transition to 100 percent renewable energy in its global offices by 2025.
"Intrepid's verified science-based targets mark the most significant step we've taken on our climate journey in the past 15 years," Intrepid CEO James Thornton said. "Setting science-based targets is widely considered the most effective way for companies to take significant climate action, and we're proud to be building our business towards a 1.5 degrees Celsius future."
"Our hope is that we can use this as a rallying cry to the entire industry that climate action needs to be a critical priority in travel's post-COVID recovery," Thornton continued. "We simply can't rebuild at the expense of the planet."
There are currently only 14 hospitality and tourism companies in the world with SBTi approved targets, including Hilton and InterContinental Hotels Group, with an additional 14 companies committed to setting science-based targets, including Legacy Vacation Resorts and MGM Resorts International.
The SBTi is a collaboration between four organizations, including the United Nations Global Compact, that promotes best practices around corporate climate action and independently assess and approve companies' targets.
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