What does the Paris Agreement mean for the event industry?

One year on from the Paris Agreement reached at COP 21 last December, we take a look at what carbon targets mean for the event industry. We're delighted to share the thoughts of Nicolas Perin, Programme Manager at the International Tourism Partnership, and his guest blog on hotels and carbon - scroll down to listen to the interview and find a link to his blog post.  

Looking Forward

As well as looking back to the Paris Agreement and COP 21, it's important to mention the recent COP 22 climate summit in Marrakech. This holds significant implications for the event industry and the impact event professionals can make by reducing carbon. Read Positive Impact Partnerships Manager Emma Owens' guest blogs on her experiences attending COP 22 here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

2017 will be a critical year for the event industry and sustainability. We're excited to launch our collaboration with the 2017 United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Find out more about what 2017 has in store, and how you can play a role here.

How to Get Involved

A great way to get involved with reducing carbon is by inspiring action in the event industry. We'd love you to share examples of sustainability best practice you've seen at events! Use the hashtag #shareapositiveimpact on Twitter, and Tweet a pic of a sustainability initiative you've seen. Great examples could include local food being served at your event, or using an app to share information rather than print outs at a conference!

We'll be featuring the top posts from 2017 on our Instagram, so get sharing!  

Nicolas Perin from the International Tourism Partnership

This month we were lucky enough to hear from Nicolas Perin, Programme Manager at the International Tourism Partnership, about what the Paris Agreement means for events.

We'd like to thank Nicolas for taking the time to share with us his blog post (here) and his thoughts on the changes in the event industry's carbon usage a year on from the Paris Agreement, as well as the best steps events can take to reduce carbon.

In the following voice recording, Nicolas answers these 5 questions for us:

1)     On Saturday 12th December 2015, a historic agreement was reached, which recognised that the needs of future generations can be met from the actions we take today. At COP 21 in Paris, world leaders, NGO's, and business leaders created a global plan to limit the average global temperature of the earth from rising above 2°C. Do you think this provided event professionals with a greater understanding of the need for more sustainable events?

2)     It’s nearly one year later, have you seen any changes in the global event industry when it comes to carbon usage?

3)      A Carbon Pledge was created by leaders in the events industry who are hoping to reduce the industry's carbon footprint. Do you think this initiative will help event professionals create more sustainable events?

4)      Following the Paris Agreement, governments are legally bound to meeting carbon reduction targets, what do you think this means for the global event industry?

5)     What are your top 5 tips for reducing carbon at your events?

Listen to the audio clip below: