Energy Monitor reporter Dave Keating (right) speaks with Iberostar’s Megan Morikawa at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt is a resort town normally known as a tourism centre and a diving paradise, but for two weeks in November it also hosted the world’s largest climate summit, COP27. Megan Morikawa, global director of sustainability at hotel group Iberostar, told Energy Monitor at the summit that tourism can play a significant role in reducing emissions and Iberostar intends to be net zero by 2030.

“We are here launching our decarbonisation road map [toward halving emissions by 2030],” she said. “We have also got a great programme where we are focusing on, for the remaining carbon footprint that we have by 2030, protecting and restoring nature in our destinations. So we are very excited by the climate adaptation and resilience-building dialogue.”

Morikawa wants to see climate action shift from agreements to implementation. “Our level of ambition is not possible without renewable energy transitions in our destinations,” she said. “So what we are keen to see is how conferences [like COP27] can facilitate these public-private partnerships and dialogues for us to start to say, ‘what are the needs that we have as an industry?'”

The tourism industry is responsible for roughly 11% of global emissions. At COP26, the pioneering Glasgow Declaration for Tourism was created to get companies to commit to halve emissions by 2030 and for the industry to go net zero by 2050.

Beyond Iberostar’s net zero plans at COP27:

Reporter Nour Ghantous and senior writer Dave Keating reported from COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on behalf of Energy Monitor and our parent company, GlobalData. They provided the data-led analysis you have come to expect from Energy Monitor but also something new: video interviews with business leaders, policymakers and campaigners. We encourage you to browse our coverage of the conference. You can also sign up for our free biweekly newsletter here.

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COP27 coverage includes:

Energy efficiency projects for gas infrastructure are an overlooked solution, by Dave Keating (24 November)

How does sustainability software fit into climate action?, by Dave Keating (24 November)

Opinion: COP27: A little less conversation, a little more action, please, by Katie Kouchakji (22 November)

What crypto, web3 and data storage can do for the climate, by Dave Keating (22 November)

Adaptation lessons from Israel’s Negev Desert: A source of climate hope, by Nick Ferris (22 November)

Opinion: COP27 concludes with loss and damage fund but no increased mitigation ambition, by Dave Keating (21 November)

COP27: At summit’s end, NGOs welcome loss and damage agreement but decry no increased mitigation, by Dave Keating (21 November)

COP27: “We need stable supply chains for the development of renewables”, by Dave Keating (18 November)

COP27: Should the energy crisis make the world re-evaluate the feasibility of a coal phase-out?, by Dave Keating (18 November)

Opinion: EU’s new 57% target is more about communication than increased ambition, by Dave Keating (18 November)

COP27: Indigenous leader warns against leaving out ancestral knowledge, by Nour Ghantous (18 November)

COP27: “Key decision-makers are presenting decarbonisation as something expensive and difficult”, by Dave Keating (17 November)

Too few rules on fossil fuels? The limitations of Mark Carney’s GFANZ alliance, by Polly Bindman (17 November)

Carbon markets at COP27: What’s holding up negotiations on Article 6?, by Nour Ghantous (17 November)

COP27: The underdogs did most of the work in week one. Now what?, by Nour Ghantous (16 November)

What do companies need from COP27?, by Dave Keating (16 November)

COP 27: Warsaw’s mayor has come with a very different message than the Polish government, by Dave Keating (16 November)

The interwoven fortunes of carbon markets and indigenous communities, by Oliver Gordon (16 November)

COP27: Deep geothermal “superhot rock energy” could be key to climate action, by Dave Keating (16 November)

COP27: “Energy efficiency should not be neglected” – Danfoss, by Nour Ghantous (15 November)

One year on, is coal being consigned to history?, by Dave Keating (15 November)

COP27: Cities are essential in the climate fight, says former Lord Mayor of Dublin, by Dave Keating (14 November)

Opinion: Why climate action will fail without more women at the table, by Philippa Nuttall (14 November)

COP27: “Green hydrogen is one of the bright spots of this COP” – Jonas Moberg, CEO of GH2, by Nour Ghantous (14 November)

COP27: Ukraine energy company DTEK maintains net-zero goal, by Nour Ghantous (14 November)

Opinion: COP27 comes after a year of unfulfilled COP26 promises, by Nick Ferris (11 November)

COP27: Data science can strengthen climate action, by Nour Ghantous (11 November)

COP27: Alpine Group proffers recycled textiles to combat climate, by Nour Ghantous (10 November)

Why the financial odds are stacked against developing countries, by Isabeau van Halm and Polly Bindman (9 November)

COP27: International Labour Organization wants to see a just transition “actually implemented”, by Nour Ghantous (9 November)

COP27 take note: Climate tech funding has soared in 2022, by Eric Johansson (9 November)

COP27: How countries compare on carbon emissions and pledges, by Nick Ferris (7 November)

COP27: Mattie Yeta, CGI’s chief sustainability officer, on the first-ever ‘metaverse COP’, by Nour Ghantous (7 November)

Which countries are already at net zero?, by Nick Ferris (25 October)

COP27: Manage your expectations, by Nour Ghantous (21 September)