Freak weather conditions and transport mayhem are
likely to become more common if government and industry leaders don’t start taking
urgent action to combat climate change, the Pacific Asia Travel Association has warned. PATA issued the warning after the worst winter storms in more than half a century
paralysed large sections of China (PRC) at the start of the Lunar New Year. Tens of
millions of migrant workers had their once-a-year journeys back to their families in
the countryside severely disrupted by the storms.

“The Chinese authorities moved quickly to restore power to cities, reopen road, rail
and air links and manage the travelling crowds with compassion and efficiency,” said
PATA President and CEO, Mr Peter de Jong. “However, the onus is on leaders around
the world to ensure that we better understand climate change and take innovative,
practical steps to reduce our carbon emissions.”

He added: “Imagine a world where these sudden, extreme conditions happen every few
weeks. No one wants that. Leaders of organisations can, and should, take effective
steps to reduce the prospect of violent climatic change. We at PATA are committed to
playing a leadership role in this process.”

The PATA CEO made the statement ahead of the Association’s new event, the PATA CEO
Challenge, which will focus exclusively on practical industry initiatives to counter
climate change. The event will challenge travel industry leaders to share and adopt
‘best practice’ solutions to reduce the travel and tourism carbon footprint.

——-