Barcelona Provincial Council has taken another step in its efforts to create a more sustainable tourism model by signing the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, an international initiative striving to reduce the sector’s environmental impact. In doing so, it has become the first provincial council to formally take on the challenge of halving emissions from tourism by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
The agreement, passed at the council’s plenary session, also involves the creation of a Climate Action Plan (PAC) within 12 months. This road map will follow the five pathways defined by the Glasgow Declaration – measure, decarbonise, regenerate, collaborate and finance – and help to ensure progress towards a more efficient, responsible tourism management model in the province of Barcelona.
The Climate Action Plan: The key to making tourism more sustainable
One of the main applications of the future PAC will be to quantify the tourism sector’s carbon footprint in the different regions of the province of Barcelona and to establish indicators that allow for continuous monitoring. These insights will be crucial for defining specific action and pilot initiatives that aim to improve climate action in the province’s tourism sector.
In the first year, the Provincial Council will invest 40,000 euros in developing and implementing the plan, which will help to lay a solid foundation for strategic decision-making in relation to tourism sustainability.
A Europe-wide strategy
The PAC is being rolled out as part of the LIFE Tour4Clima project, co-funded by the EU’s LIFE programme, which seeks to accelerate Catalan tourism’s transition to climate neutrality and encourage the exchange of best practices with other European regions.
The project has an overall budget of nearly 1.9 million euros, 60% of which comes from European funds, and involves various stakeholders, led by the Catalan Tourism Agency. Barcelona Provincial Council is playing a prominent role, coordinating initiatives at the local, provincial and regional levels to guarantee a real impact on the local area.
More resources and opportunities for towns and cities
By signing the Glasgow Declaration – along with more than 800 signatories all over the world, including the Generalitat de Catalunya, Turisme de Barcelona and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat – the Provincial Council is joining an international network of institutions and destinations committed to climate action. This positioning will facilitate access to resources, knowledge and European funding related to the green transition, which can be passed on to local institutions in the province, including ERDF funding, LIFE and programmes focusing on climate adaptation, sustainable mobility and circular mobility.
In this process, the Provincial Council plays a leading and facilitating role, helping towns and cities in their climate action and connecting them with other public institutions to share experiences and best practices. This knowledge transfer will allow solutions to be adapted to the situation in each region and further progress towards a more resilient, competitive tourism model aligned with the Urban Agenda 2030.
