Thinking Beyond Carbon to Biodiversity

Biodiversity loss and climate change go hand in hand. Executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Elizabeth Mrema laid it out: “Climate change is a primary driver of biodiversity loss. And climate change depends on biodiversity as part of the solution.” Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth—from bacteria to entire ecosystems such as forests or coral reefs. We depend on it for so many things like food, water, medicine and even economic growth. In essence, there is no point in focusing on reducing carbon emissions to tackle climate change if we don’t strive to restore and conserve biodiversity simultaneously.

While climate change has grabbed the headlines for several years, recognition of the importance of biodiversity is just now gaining traction. In 2022, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted by 196 countries. This is the biodiversity equivalent to the Paris Agreement and contains four goals and 23 targets to be achieved by 2030, including protecting 30 percent of the planet for nature by the end of the decade, reforming $500 billion of environmentally damaging subsidies, and restoring 30 percent of the planet’s degraded ecosystems. In 2023, at the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, countries agreed to consider these goals as part of their updated climate change commitments. Corporate sustainability reporting frameworks are increasingly integrating biodiversity alongside climate disclosures and there is a movement for nature impact disclosures to be mandatory by 2030.

So, while business travel sustainability initiatives have, until now, largely focused on reducing carbon emissions, the industry also needs to think about its role in addressing biodiversity loss. Given the challenges around decarbonization of aviation, being able to show a positive engagement with nature (essentially people and places on the ground) will be a bonus for business travel. Especially as the stakes get higher and the industry is pushed harder to show its credentials for bringing wider benefits to the world.

What does this mean in reality? The links between nature and business travel are less explicit than the carbon challenge. But there are some great opportunities where business travel can contribute.

Food and drink – The main cause of biodiversity loss is humans’ use of land, primarily for food production. Hospitality suppliers have a huge role to play in sourcing sustainable, local and seasonal food, and business travel (as well as the meetings and events industry) can use their purchasing power to support those that are doing this well.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel – Sustainable aviation fuel also is connected to human’s use of land, and this is one of the most important connections our industry can make to biodiversity. Not all SAF is “sustainable.” Specifically, SAF should not rely on crop-based feedstocks like palm forests, which require a lot of water and agricultural land to produce. Companies investing in SAF as part of their business travel decarbonization strategy need to understand these factors, recognize the potential impact of SAF on biodiversity, and ensure that the impact is minimized or eliminated. If not, we will replace one problem with another one.

Hotels – This industry also has a significant influence over food and drink sourcing. Hotels can be looking more widely at their sourcing strategies for building and outfitting, and ensuring that materials are forest friendly. Biodiversity considerations also should be integrated into planning and development projects. Corporate travel clients should ask hotel suppliers about their biodiversity initiatives as part of their hotel procurement process.

Nature-based solutions – Many corporates want to offset their business travel. This has become controversial as the quality of offsets is increasingly questioned. However, making a contribution to support high-quality projects that address climate change and biodiversity is still a valid strategy (once you have reduced your emissions as much as you can). Some examples of nature-based projects include planting gardens to be used by properties, installing artificial reefs to boost biodiversity in oceans and using an insecticide-free management system. By investing in these projects, business travel can show its commitment to and positive impact on biodiversity. 

Traveler education and engagement – There are opportunities to engage with business travelers on key issues around biodiversity and how they can play their part in travel and at home. We’ve all learned more about reducing plastics and using public transportation, and that should continue. Perhaps the next compelling opportunity—as more business travelers tack leisure extensions onto their business trips—is to help them learn more about cultural, culinary and adventure experiences that minimize the impact on nature, or—better yet—support it.

Of course, we should continue to look at our carbon footprint as there is much work to be done. However, we should not forget the bigger picture. We don’t want to solve one problem only to be faced by another, even bigger one. As customers, employees (and the world at large) start to focus more on biodiversity, the business travel industry has the opportunity to get ahead of the curve. We can show our commitment and demonstrate how we can make a difference; and that business travel can make a positive impact.