The Australian (Vic) Outdoors Industry: Research indicates the necessity for a sector-wide carbon neutrality roadmap
- Editor
- Apr 16, 2024
- 2 min read
The Victorian Outdoor Providers and Camping sector is presented with an opportunity of a lifetime, to lead today’s environmental challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities through progressive industry-led carbon neutral initiatives.
Whilst all educators in the outdoors intrinsically understand the value of protecting and conserving our natural environment through the work that we all do, there is often a key piece missing in child safety, environmental and wellbeing policies.
Creators continue to refer to today's environment and often fail to mention the environment that we need to protect and enhance to leave a positive future for the generations; the environment of tomorrow.
Industry-wide Research led by Island Energy and our key partners indicate that there is a critical role that the Victorian Outdoor Provider and Camping sector, as one-team, can play in mitigating the local impacts of climate change.
"We've conducted preliminary carbon footprint measurements of industry-wide GHG emissions, whilst also identifying significant opportunities for immediate reductions in operational expenditure across the entire community. From here, well-planned and unified industry step change backed by strong leadership is required for meaningful outcomes." - Industry Representative
“An industry-wide emissions reduction plan without an evidence based roadmap is like walking in the Alpine National Park in a blizzard with no food reserve, rucksack or map. Without a good map supported by technical and soft-skills you could overshoot a bearing, reach a cliff edge and risk catastrophic consequences. An industry disaster”
Prior to 2020, when the Outdoors Sector was in full motion, the Marsden Jacob Report on the Economics of Outdoors coined the term “300-pound wombat in the room; a sector that contributes significantly to Victoria’s nature-based and outdoor-recreation and tourism economy.
Since that economic report, the new wombat in the room isn’t 300 pounds. It’s a more demanding necessity that needs to be immediately addressed, climate inaction, and it now weighs 1.3m tonnes CO₂-e
However, with verifiable and ongoing research we can reduce the weight of the wombat by addressing our aggregated carbon footprint and developing a sector wide carbon neutrality roadmap.
A Roadmap to Net Zero, alongside investment in technologies and practices that demonstrate the sector is proactively addressing emissions and will reinforce our reputation as an innovative leader in environmental conservation and climate action.
With over 2.5 million nature based outdoor activity participant days by Victorian school children in the Marsden Jacob 2016 report, and a AUD$7.4 billion spend on nature-based outdoor activities in Victoria, we are still yet to capture our industry-wide carbon emissions footprint to an adequate level.
There is an immediate potential for a 70% energy, waste and transportation emissions reduction across all camps and associated outdoor activity providers within 3 years, resulting in operational expenditure savings estimated at:
$900 million over the next 5 years
For example, In 2021, YMCA Discovery Camps Victoria set an ambitious target of 100% carbon emissions reduction by 2030.
Through certified consultancy and advisory services, the organisation is on track to achieve this goal, with a verifiable roadmap, and achieving a Carbon Neutral status.
Early research suggests that outdoor providers want to ensure that they limit their impact on the natural environment but are not confident that investing their time and energy will result in achieving their sustainability goals and ambitions.
Respondents indicated that a peak-body-led industry-wide roadmap would ensure greater confidence and increase motivation towards taking the first step towards sustainable operations.
