Sustainable Facilities Chapter 2 PDF

## Sustainable Development and the Hospitality Industry ### The objectives for this chapter are: - To explore the ongoing challenges for the planet and its inhabitants - To describe the cause and effects of climate change - To identify the reasons for the over-exploitation of finite resources - To...

## Sustainable Development and the Hospitality Industry ### The objectives for this chapter are: - To explore the ongoing challenges for the planet and its inhabitants - To describe the cause and effects of climate change - To identify the reasons for the over-exploitation of finite resources - To recognise the significance of fresh water depletion - To discuss the consequences of over-population - To establish the linkages between the economy and carrying capacity - To interpret the limits of the current economic system - To describe the challenges linked to globalisation - To explore the concept of sustainable economics - To illustrate sustainable hospitality using best practices - To review important initiatives supporting sustainable hospitality - To discuss two philosophical approaches to the planet's challenges ### Emerging Challenges for the Planet Human activities have influenced the Earth's ecosystem for thousands of years. By now, the negative consequences of human actions are unmistakable. Because it is one of the larger industries in the world, the hospitality sector is hungry for resources, thus it is a contributor to many issues and at the same time also directly affected by changes in the environment. Whether operating a ski resort in the Alps or a coastal retreat, whether a restaurant sourcing its food locally or organically, the effects of climate change are felt firsthand. This chapter explains why hospitality operations need to manage their environmental and social impacts and what exactly is involved in running a profitable business in line with the principles of environmental stewardship and to the benefit of society. In short, the chapter seeks to explore, discuss and define the concept of sustainable hospitality management. ### Problem Definition The pre-COVID-19 boom in tourism and hospitality has given rise to record numbers of international travellers, millions of new jobs and economic opportunities in countries around the world. In 2019, as the world's largest service industry, tourism and hospitality contributed an estimated 10.4% to global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) taking into consideration the direct, indirect and induced impacts and supported 334 million jobs, an estimated 1 out of 10 jobs (WTTC, 2021). With continuous growth since the Global Economic Crisis in 2008/2009, the industry recorded 1.46 billion international tourist arrivals and US\$1.7 trillion in export earnings, making it the third largest export earner after fuels and chemicals, in 2019. The following year was unprecedented in the history of tourism. The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated travel restrictions saw international tourist arrivals drop by 74% to 381 million. The industry's gross domestic product (GDP) contribution was cut in half to 5.5% and 62 million jobs were lost in 2020. Despite ongoing vaccination and easing travel restrictions, tourist arrivals remained 85% below 2019 figures in January to May 2021 (UNWTO, 2021a & b). The recovery of travel and tourism is slow and will perhaps take years, if it ever recovers fully. Given the magnitude of the crisis, forecasting tourism demand remains a formidable challenge (Zhang et al., 2021). It would be surprising, however, to suddenly see the eagerness to travel and explore vanish from the human spirit. While the industry is struggling to survive, it is now time to sit back and ponder: Do we want to 'bounce back' to how things used to be pre-COVID-19, or do we not rather want to 'bounce forward' to a better, more sustainable and resilient form of tourism and hospitality? While the **economic impacts** were significant, the industry had and still has substantial negative **impacts** on society and the environment and is therefore faced with a range of increasingly pressing challenges. ### Complexity of Hospitality When describing a phenomenon such as the hospitality industry, it is difficult to define not only its size and activities but also its role in society. The diversity of its products and services, from luxury hotels, to cruise ships, casinos, catering firms and even hot dog stands outside sports stadiums, defies the conventional definition of an industry as being a set of firms offering the same products. Naturally, the provision of hotels falls within the general context of hospitality, an aspect of human activity which has important social dimensions as well as meets the physiological needs of shelter and comfort. From an international perspective the notion of a hotel is understood as a culturally bound phenomenon that represents a certain set of assumptions. Managing a hotel in the twenty-first century is a challenging task. Welcoming and taking care of guests from different backgrounds and offering food and shelter are always constant but the demands made on hoteliers have drastically changed. The modern day hotelier requires an in-depth knowledge in not only the traditional fields of operations, finance, marketing, customer relationships, branding, media and communication but also in stakeholder relationships and increasingly over the past decade: environmental management, ethics and social responsibility. Many hotels now consist of multiple units including restaurants, bars, clubs, entertainment facilities, spas and recreation facilities operating 24/7/365 and consequently have a relatively high environmental impact and may cause a strained relationship with people both locally and internationally in the global market place. The expansion of the hotel industry is dramatic with dozens of new properties opening weekly, even defying the odds of the COVID-19 pandemic. This expansion is a response to increases in prosperity and the desire to travel as stated above driving further real estate investments. The result is direct pressure on non-renewable resources both in the 'design and construction phase' and the 'operation and occupation phase' of hotel properties. This is where innovative and sustainable buildings and management systems are needed to relieve the unrelenting pressure on the natural environment that is reaching the limits of its carrying capacity in many destinations. Many of these destinations have already felt the direct effect of climate change, biodiversity loss and shortage of resources. ### The Rationale for Sustainability in Hospitality To the uninformed onlooker, environmental protection seems much more necessary in industries where the pollution is actually visible. However, while the processes that are necessary in the assembly of service products may be intangible, perishable and consumed as they occur, they often involve the support of a wide spectrum of physical components and reliance on natural resources (sufficient and reliable supply of energy, food and clean water are essential for hospitality and culinary operations of all sizes and shapes). ### Hospitality Impacts The hospitality industry impacts, positively or negatively, communities in which it operates in the form of employment, working conditions and the use of a supply chain (see the following section Beyond the Environment: Ethics of Conducting Business). On the environmental pillar, the hospitality sector has shown to have a series of negative impacts. Air and water pollution, solid and water waste as well as GHGs are some of the environmental outputs from the hospitality and tourism industries. Hotels, for example, are among the highest energy users per square metre of all commercial buildings (Dibene-Arriola et al., 2021). Energy consumption varies between 60 and 700 kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) of floor space, depending on the geographical location, type of facilities and amenities provided (Dibene-Arriola et al., 2021; ENERGY STAR, 2015; Hotel Energy Solutions, 2011; Ricaurte & Rehmaashini, 2020; Xuchao et al., 2010). Linked to energy consumption are carbon emissions. Findings from studies vary quite significantly from 11 to 29 kgCO2e per occupied room (Díaz-Pérez et al., 2019). Results from the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index 2020 show a mean of roughly 19 kgCO2e per Occupied Room for US-based hotels across all hotel categories and geographies (CHSB, 2020) (see also Chapter 3, Energy). The emissions stemming from a guest's diet are not included in the above-mentioned figures. However, it is estimated that a non-vegetarian diet results in 8 kg CO2 equivalent per person per day without including the emissions for food preparation (Kim & Neff, 2009). Water consumption in hotels averages 350 litres per guest night (Gössling, 2015). The latest Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmark reports an average of 473 litres per occupied room in the United States across all hotel categories and a similar consumption for hotels located along the Mediterranean coast but up to 770 litres per occupied room in Dubai, or 1,813 litres per m² of floor space (CHSB, 2020). Energy and water usage in extreme natural environments may show higher rates of consumption (see also Chapter 5, Water). On average, hotel guests generate 1 kg of waste per guest per night in the form of paper, plastics and cardboard (ITP, 2014), twice as much as local residents (IFC, 2007). Food waste is also a critical issue facing the hospitality industry. Of all the food waste in the European Union, 12% stems from food service businesses (FUSIONS, 2016). Restaurants in the United States are responsible for about 21% of all food wasted (ReFED, 2018) (see also Chapter 10, Food and beverage management). And while hotel guests may generate solid waste, a significant amount of energy used by hotel operations is wasted, leaving ample room for intelligent measures of energy efficiency and conservation (see also Chapter 4, Waste). The creation of waste (any type of waste; food waste, water waste, time waste, energy waste, etc.) is a sign of inefficiencies. Any management school, consultant and manager would agree that inefficiencies lead to underperformance – an undesirable position in the highly competitive hotel market. ### Gaining and Maintaining a Competitive Advantage Gaining a competitive advantage in the hospitality industry can be difficult. The hospitality sector is highly heterogeneous with a myriad of actors, from small independent entrepreneurs to global player, which results in a fierce competition. In such situations, hospitality companies closely observe each business move made by competitors and industry leaders. Successful strategies are immediately copied. However, a competitive advantage cannot be gained by one single improvement only; rather it requires a company to constantly question its tactics and strategic position. Gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage, either through differentiation or cost advantage (Porter, 2004), has shown to be a motivating factor for many hospitality companies embarking on sustainable business initiatives. Whether inspired by potential cost savings, the improvement of corporate image, the possible increase in market share or simply to 'do good while doing business', hospitality companies must join the unprecedented mobilisation across the globe. This includes all sections of civil society, local, regional and national governments as well as businesses of all sizes and all sectors in mitigating negative environmental impacts, increasing the pace towards decarbonisation and facing the many societal challenges ahead (see also Chapter 17, Stakeholder relationships and partnerships). ### Momentum from International Agreement The international Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted by 195 countries and the European Union in December 2015 (during the 21st Conference of the Parties – COP21) and is the result of six years of work since the 2009 conference in Copenhagen (and 20 years since the first conference (COP1) held in Berlin in 1995). The agreement provides a global framework towards 'holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C' (United Nations, 2015a). On the biodiversity front, the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, known as the Aichi Targets, provided a 'framework for action by all countries and stakeholders to save biodiversity and enhance its benefits for people'(CBD, 2010, para. 1). Unfortunately, a decade later no progress has been achieved on many of the targets (CBD, 2020). Not only is the lack of progress on biodiversity "threatening the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and undermining efforts to address climate change" (CBD, 2020, p.8) but at the same time 'biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, and the pressures driving this decline are intensifying' (CBD, 2020, p.8). The hopes are for the global community to achieve a ‘Paris-like agreement' on biodiversity at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) taking place in Montréal, Canada, in 2022 (UNEP, 2021). Over the last few years, hotel companies have made a determined effort to deal with the impact their business activities have on the environment, particularly by measuring and reducing their carbon (e.g., the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative see Info Box on HCMI in Chapter 3, Energy, or the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative see Info Box on HWMI in Chapter 5, Water and the case for sustainable buildings see Info Box on Hotel Value Chain and Sustainable Buildings in Chapter 15, Investing and Financing). Beside the known fact that a clean environment is a key factor to attract tourists, both major international hospitality companies and small hotel or restaurant businesses recognise the tangible benefits in being proactive in mitigating environmental impacts including real efficiency gains and an improved corporate reputation. And while the international agreement largely deals with climate change mitigation and adaption, another closely linked challenge for companies is how to manage the ethical operation of their business. ### Beyond the Environment: Ethics of Conducting Business Ethical issues arise in four main areas: (1) the supply chain; (2) the local community (or 'host community' at the tourism destination); (3) the workplace, and (4) the customers. There may be concerns about exploitative labour practices in the supply chain or exploitation of migrant workers in hotels and restaurants. Local people may often rightly perceive that they have little or no share in the economic benefits of tourism (partly due to the leakage effect whereby the revenues generated are lost to other countries a topic discussed in Chapter 19, Challenges of operating in the Global South) while bearing a disproportionate burden from environmental degradation. There are mounting issues related to the way goods needed for hotel operations are being produced, in terms of working conditions and quality concerns, from furniture to food provision. The development of destinations which previously relied on agriculture and extractive industries creates demand for often low-paid hotel operatives and destroys traditional employment opportunities such as fishing and farming. The local cost of living increases, many of the original population are obliged to leave. The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) devised a Global Code of Ethics for tourism, designed to minimise the negative effects of tourism activity on destinations and local communities, via the adoption of a comprehensive set of principles guiding stakeholders in tourism (UNWTO, 2001) (see also Chapter 8, Employees). These include governments, non-governmental organisations, the industry and the individual travellers. Although it is not a legally binding document, Article 10 of the Code provides for a voluntary implementation mechanism to which stakeholders may refer concerning the application and interpretation of the document. A number of hotel and tourism companies are signatories of the Global Code of Ethics, including the online travel platform TripAdvisor in 2017, hotel companies such as RIU Hotels & Resorts, and individual hotel properties under Marriott, Meliá Hotel International, Mövenpick and IHG as well as tour operators Der Touristik and TUI as well as numerous regional and national hotel associations and small- and medium-sized hotel and/or tour operators (Signatories, 2021). ### Proactive Approach Encouragingly, there is evidence that the hotel industry is assuming a proactive, collective approach to human rights and business ethics, incorporating human rights risk-mapping, employee training on responsible business and sustainable local benefits. Major hotel companies have taken significant steps in the past decade to integrate policies on human rights into their stated policies on business conduct and ethics. Decarbonisation targets are being set across many large hotel chains and biodiversity protection is a core component of sustainability programmes. Sustainable business strategy makes good business sense as it potentially enhances a company's profits, management effectiveness and public image. Most importantly however, it is a matter of managing risks (see Case Study). The likely winners in a fast-changing hospitality industry are companies that take a triple bottom-line approach. ### Defining Sustainability and Sustainable Development: A Historical Perspective #### The Greeks, the Romans and von Carlowitz The Greek and Roman philosophers already reflected on the diverse and sometimes complex relationships between humans, and in particular human activities, and ecosystems in which those activities take place. Plato (400 BC) examined issues related to the size of population versus the availability of fertile land and natural resources. Aristotle discussed nature's role and purpose. The Roman army commander, natural philosopher and author, Gaius Plinius Secundus, known as Pliny the Elder (first century AD), pointed out the improper use of raw material and the disappearance of forests with the known consequences of deforestation such as soil erosion, floods and a decrease in soil fertility in his publication, Naturalis Historia (Natural History). But it was not until the turn of the eighteenth century that such philosophical discussions moved into the spheres of agriculture, management and business. In a book published in 1713, entitled Sylvicultura Oeconomica, German tax accountant and mining administrator, Hans Carl von Carlowitz laid the grounds of the modern interpretation of sustainable development (Grober, 2010). He argued against short-term financial gains in managing primary resources in general and wood in particular. Located in Freiberg, Saxony, von Carlowitz further reasoned that along with the careful harvesting of wood, a plan for reforestation must be devised. Von Carlowitz was an advocate of improved thermal insulation in construction and the use of energy-efficient furnaces and ovens. Sylvicultura Oeconomica is considered one of the first scientific publications on forestry. Von Carlowitz coined the word 'sustainability'. #### From Freiberg to Brundtland Commission The nineteenth-century German sustainable forestry science gained international acclaim. However, the concept of sustainability and sustainable development was to be tested by rapid economic growth in the second half of the twentieth century. This growth was based heavily on the depletion of natural resources. Sustainable development, a concept that gradually came about over centuries, gained momentum in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1951, the IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature) published the first report on the state of the environment in the world (IUCN, 1951), a pioneering report in its quest for reconciliation between the economy and ecology. In 1966, economist Barbara Mary Ward published Spaceship Earth (Ward, 1966) and economist Kenneth Ewart Boulding wrote an essay entitled 'The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth' (Boulding, 1966). The basic premise of both publications rests on the realisation that Planet Earth is 'a single spaceship, without unlimited reservoirs of anything, either for extraction or for pollution, and in which, therefore, man must find his place in a cyclical ecological system' (Boulding, 1966). Rather than an analogy to a 'spaceship', American ecologist and philosopher Garrett Hardin used the concept of a 'lifeboat' to discuss the access to resources situation (Garret argued that a spaceship requires a captain. Since the Earth has no captain, the spaceship analogy is flawed). Hardin argues that: Metaphorically each rich nation can be seen as a lifeboat full of comparatively rich people. In the ocean outside each lifeboat swim the poor of the world, who would like to get in, or at least to share some of the wealth. What should the lifeboat passengers do? (Hardin, 1974) In the article The Tragedy of the Commons published in 1968, Hardin argued that when resources are available to all (the Commons, e.g., the, oceans, rivers, forest) with no one taking responsibility, the consequence is a depletion of that resource. In other words, the free access and unrestricted demand for a finite resource leads to over-exploitation and depletion (Hardin, 1968). The concept is best described as The Tragedy of the Fishers. Fishermen are motivated and dependent on the resource (the fish) for their own personal benefits independent of others. Using 'conscience' to regulate the Commons is not effective (some fisherman may be more altruistic than others who may be more selfish). When uncontrolled, fishing before or during breeding could cause grave repercussions on future fish stocks with negative consequences to the fishermen. Hardin concluded: To consider the Commons as being 'free' is part of the problem the Commons require management (Hardin, 1968). The Tragedy of the Commons has great implications today where population growth and limited resources are two key issues of strategic importance. The international think tank, the Club of Rome, was founded in the late 1960s and commissioned the report entitled The Limits to Growth, which landed on bookshelves in 1972. The basic thesis was the linkage drawn between rapid population growth and the finite supply of primary resources (Meadows et al., 1972). In the same year, the United Nations organised the Stockholm United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which investigated the linkages between the environment and development. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was born out of the 1972 Stockholm Conference. However, the modern version of the definition of sustainable development is best summarised in one simple sentence created by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1983 and published in the final report entitled Our Common Future, better known as the Brundtland Report, in 1987: Sustainable development is defined there as: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (WCED, 1987, IV Conclusion) #### From Brundtland Report to Rio Building upon this definition, but changing its focus from humankind's responsibility towards future generations to the current balance of the Earth's ecological systems, is the definition of sustainable development in the 1991 publication Caring for the Earth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Sustainable development is defined there as: improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems (IUCN, 1991, p. 10) The addition of economic and socio-cultural aspects to the notion of sustainability came about from the Earth Summit in June 1992, from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Agenda 21. Furthermore, this conference focused attention on the role of education, more specifically education that encourages values and attitudes of respect for the environment. Under Agenda 21, to engage in sustainable development requires adopting, changing or improving behaviours guided by a set of 27 principles (UNEP, n.d.). Those can be summarised with the following five principles: 1. The principle of precaution: to prevent any risks occurring that are deemed possible. 2. The principle of responsibility: to adopt social and environmental responsibility for all activities and decisions. 3. The principle of transparency: to make all relevant information available to stakeholders. 4. The principle of social and technological innovation: to move forward social and technological innovation in a way that benefits humankind and the planet. 5. The principle of involved citizenship: to contribute to local, national and global tasks. #### From Rio to Kyoto The subject of climate change was projected to the forefront of sustainable development in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. An agreement was reached, known as the Kyoto Protocol, by 38 industrialised countries to reduce their combined GHG emissions by 5.2% on average by 2012 compared to 1990 levels (UNFCCC, 1998). The agreement entered into force in 2005 and ended in 2012. The same year, at the end of round one of the Kyoto Protocol, the Doha Amendments to the Kyoto Protocol was adopted (UNFCCC, 2012). The Doha Amendments establishes a second round of commitments for the period 2013–2020 including renewed pledges for reduction of greenhouse gases by 2020 from the 37 industrialised countries and the European Union (UNFCCC, 2012) - Canada, originally a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol withdrew from the agreement in 2011. The same year as the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, author and entrepreneur John Elkington published Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business in which he described the triple bottom line, or TBL (Elkington, 2005). Elkington had already started to use the term TBL back in 1994 in an article published in the California Management Review on 'win-win-win' business strategies (Elkington, 1994). Elkington argues that measuring success means capturing, analysing and reporting ecological and social performance in addition to the financial performance of an organisation. Nowadays, most Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports from large companies are built around those three components although the metrics and measurements used and reported on those pillars are still in need of standardisation. However, in 2018, Elkington published a vivid critique on the ways and methods TBL has been implemented in businesses over the past quarter century. He writes, 'while there have been successes, our climate, water resources, oceans, forests, soils and biodiversity are all increasingly threatened' (Elkington, 2018, para. 5). #### Post-Kyoto and COP21 Many conferences followed on all topics within the field of sustainable development and climate change in particular. In 2000, world leaders gathered and adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The goals, to be achieved by 2015 and particularly aimed at challenges of the Global South, included eradicating extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS, and developing a global partnership for development. The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) or Earth Summit +10 took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002, ten years after the Rio Summit. The Johannesburg Summit broadened the definition of sustainable development even further, by including the notions of human dignity, social justice and the fight against poverty (United Nations, 2002). Additionally, to reinforce the focus on sustainability and education following a proposal from the Johannesburg Summit in 2002, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the period 2005-2014 to be the 'Decade of education for sustainable development'. Gatherings of environmental specialists, government representatives and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) discussing climate change matters corroborated the media and general public interest. In 2009, the United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The summit was a missed opportunity for world leaders to agree on a framework for the mitigation of climate change beyond 2012. Following six years of yearly meetings and negotiation, the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) opened in Paris in late 2015. #### Paris Agreement The gathering of nations in December 2015 in Paris had the principal goal to agree on a global legally binding plan to avoid the worst impacts of climate change such as severe droughts, flood, storms, etc. The governing body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is known as COP. It is made up of all countries which should work towards this agreement. Ahead of COP21, countries were asked to provide their Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDCs). The INDCs are a set of pledges that countries responsible for over 80% of the global GHG emissions have made towards emission reduction. These 155 countries, including the largest emitters such as China, the United States, Europe and India, have each prepared their INDCs and thus sent the message of willingness to combat climate change. After two weeks of intense negotiations, the Paris Agreement was adopted by 195 countries and the European Union. The agreement provides a global framework towards 'holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C' (UNFCCC, 2015). The Paris Agreement also covers many interrelated issues: (1) the financing of adaptation (e.g., aiding communities/societies to deal with impacts of climate change); (2) minimising loss and damage (e.g., creation of early warning systems and emergency preparedness); (3) peaking and reducing emissions; and (4) installing a continuous improvement system (e.g., setting new targets, reporting on performance, etc.) (UNFCCC, 2015). An important aspect is the financing of climate actions to reduce emissions and build resilience to impacts in developing countries, or rather the Global South - those mostly affected by climate change. The fully industrialised nations of the Global North expressed a firm intention to maintain their existing US\$100 billion budget planning per year from 2020 until 2025, when a new collective goal will be set. The large development banks, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have embraced the deal and pledged to greatly increase lending for low-carbon projects and activities aimed at cleaning pollution over the next 20 years (IISD, 2015). Tropical countries should also benefit financially from protecting their forests, payments for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation and incentives to replant. There is momentum in solar, wind and other renewable technologies research and investments and less financial incentives for further fossil fuel developments. Although the Paris Agreement is, overall, legally binding, much of the detail is not. Countries cannot be forced to do more than originally expressed, nor are there any punishments foreseen if targets are not achieved. However, a non-binding agreement does not mean it is meaningless. Similar to most international agreements, the Paris Agreement relies on countries' desire to have good and productive relationships with one another and thus there is a considerable amount of pressure for active participation. There is also some doubt that countries have pledged enough cuts, beyond the expressed INDCs, to avoid an increase in temperature past the 2 degrees Celsius as written in the agreement. The Paris Agreement has loopholes and deficiencies, mostly due to compromises during political negotiations, but it is a step forward. For example, The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reported that following the agreement, wind and solar power can be scaled up by countries to represent 36% of the global energy mix by 2030 (IRENA, 2016). This increase would represent half the GHG emission reduction required to stabilise the warming at 2 degrees Celsius and energy efficiency measures would provide the other half needed (IRENA, 2016) (see Chapter 3, Energy). #### Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is supposed to guide global sustainable development until 2030. The 17 goals comprise a set of 169 targets and 231 unique indicators, covering topics ranging from ending poverty, achieving food security, ensuring healthy lives, accessing quality education, providing water and energy access, reducing inequalities, conserving natural environments and promoting employment and decent work for all. In contrast to the MDGs, the SDGs are global in nature and not just directed towards the Global South. The complete list of topics, targets and indicators can be accessed from the **Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform (https://sdgs.un.org/goals)**. At the time of writing this book (Summer 2021), six years had passed since the inception of Agenda 2030 and the SDGs had become a blueprint for much of the global development work and discourse. The latest UN SDG Progress Report (2021) notes, however, that realisation of the SDGs remains a distant hope. #### Had the paradigm shift envisioned by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development been fully embraced over the past six years, the world would have been better prepared to face this crisis – with stronger health systems, expanded social protection coverage, the resilience that comes from more equal societies, and a healthier natural environment. Regrettably, the SDGs were already off track even before COVID-19 emerged. Progress had been made in poverty reduction, maternal and child health, access to electricity, and gender equality, but not enough to achieve the Goals by 2030. In other vital areas, including reducing inequality, lowering carbon emissions and tackling hunger, progress had either stalled or reversed. (p. 2) In order to make the remaining years until 2030 count, keep global climate warming and biodiversity loss at an absolute minimum and achieve other important SDGs, we need an unprecedented and globally concerted effort. This book supports the Agenda 2030 by pointing out how each of the topics covered in Chapters 3–19 relate to the SDGs and help to realise them. At the beginning of each chapter, you will find a table elaborating on the most pertinent SDGs from our perspective. These are examples and not set in stone. The SDGs are highly interconnected and it is likely that from a holistic perspective, the sustainable water or energy management can in some way help to achieve SDGs not highlighted in the chapters, for example. Table 2.1 shows which of the SDGs apply to each chapter. | SDG/Chapter | 1. The rationale for sustainable development¹ | 2. Sustainable development¹ and the hospitality industry¹ | 3. Energy | 4. Waste | 5. Water | 6. Facilities | 7. Accessibility | 8. Employees | 9. Food management | 10. Finance | | :------------ | :--------------------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------ | :--------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------ | :------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1. | No poverty | | | | | | | | | | | 2. | Zero hunger | | | | | | | | | | | 3. | Good health and well-being | | | | | | | | | | | 4. | Quality education | | | | | | | | | | | 5. | Gender equality | | | | | | | | | | | 6. | Clean water and sanitation | | | | | | | | | | | 7. | Affordable and clean energy | | | | | | | | | | | 8. | Decent work and economic growth | | | | | | | | | | | 9. | Industry, innovation and infrastructure | | | | | | | | | | | 10. | Reduced inequalities | | | | | | | | | | | 11. | Sustainable cities and communities | | | | | | | | | | | 12. | Responsible production and consumption | | | | | | | | | | | 13. | Climate action | | | | | | | | | | | 14. | Life below water | | | | | | | | | | | 15. | Life on land | | | | | | | | | | | 16. | Peace, justice and strong institutions | | | | | | | | | | | 17. | Partnerships for the goals | | | | | | | | | | 1: The first two chapters are not connected to individual SDGs, because they are introductory in nature. Note: The content of this publication has not been approved by the United