This blog was updated on 22 January 2024 to reflect our current approach to carbon ofsetting, emissions reductions and decarbonisation. For more information on our climate plan, please refer to our latest annual report.
For over 30 years, Intrepid has been taking small groups of travellers around the world, providing them with real life experiences that give back to the places we visit, and the people we meet. We’ve always been about travelling the local way – getting around on local transport, eating at local restaurants and staying in locally run accommodation.
Thirty years later, we’ve grown into the world’s largest adventure travel company. And we’ve learned that the more we grow, the bigger the difference we can make.
We first started getting worried about climate change in 2005, when a group of senior managers here at Intrepid read The Weather Makers, a critically acclaimed book by Tim Flannery about the history and future impact of climate change.
Our concerns grew in 2006, when we took the entire Intrepid office – along with 900 of our travellers – to see Al Gore’s award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.
No one liked what they saw.
We conducted a survey of several thousand travellers across the globe, and discovered that almost all of them (91% of them, in fact) wanted us to take definitive action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
The crowd had spoken. The results of that survey led to our commitment to measure, manage and mitigate our emissions, with the aim of becoming climate neutral (which was achieved and externally verified in 2010).
As a result, we became the world’s largest carbon-neutral travel company. As of December 2022, we’ve offset more than 400,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. In late 2018, we revised our reporting methodology in line with Climate Active, formally known as the National Carbon Offsetting Standards (NCOS), under the Australian Government’s Carbon Neutral Initiative.
But this is no longer enough.
As GMs, CEOs, business owners, travellers, and human beings, we are clear that there is a Climate Emergency which requires immediate and radical action by our governments, our industry and our business.
We need to see decisive government action to combat our urgent climate crisis.
But it’s also the responsibility (and obligation) of businesses, like Intrepid, to do whatever they can to preserve this earth for our future generations. Business has a vital role to play in helping limit global warming, and building the net-zero carbon economy of the future.
Together with a group of other businesses, organisations and individuals in the tourism industries, we are declaring a Climate Emergency, as part of Tourism Declares. We’re committed to setting a science-based emission reduction target, and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions at the pace and scale that science says is necessary to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C.
READ MORE ABOUT THE ‘TOURISM DECLARES A CLIMATE EMERGENCY’ MOVEMENT HERE
Based on the facts we know today, we’d be lying to ourselves if we were to continue as though there is nothing wrong. But everything is wrong. We are in a Climate Emergency.
Part of our commitment plan is creating a climate positive company in the future. This means creating environmental benefits by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and decarbonizing our business by reducing emissions from our trips and global operations
We are committed to creating environmental benefits by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and decarbonise our business by reducing emissions from our trips and global operations.
So, what’s the plan?
By going public with a seven-point climate commitment:
1. We’ll measure our emissions.
From transport, to waste, to energy use – we need to know where our emissions are coming from so we can understand how to limit them.
2. We’ll continue to offset 100 per cent of our emissions.
We remain committed to fully offsetting.
3. Meet near-term targets to reduce emissions.
We’ll also set a science-based target to reduce emissions and reach net zero as soon as possible before 2050.
4. Our goal is to transition to 100% renewable energy…
… in our offices by 2025, and on our trips by 2030.
5. Intrepid is the first travel company in Australia to invest in green deposits…
… supporting assets and projects consistent with delivering a low carbon economy.
6. We will keep empowering women around the world…
…to continue to strive for social justice and sustainable growth around the world.
7. We will continue to invest in research and innovative solutions.
We will also advocate for decarbonistation across the travel industry.
It’s our responsibility to help preserve the planet for the next generation of travellers and the communities that call these places home.
Feature photo by Justin Meneguzzi.
