Byway declares a climate emergency

We are in a climate crisis, and we all have a part to play in tackling it to save our planet. One of the biggest contributors to the CO2 levels driving climate change is the airline industry, and the simplest way for an individual to significantly reduce their carbon footprint is to cut down the number of flights they take.

Byway was born to help travellers discover the joys of traveling by train, boat, bus and bike - stopping for delightful detours en route and enjoying wonderful local stays away from the tourist trails - and to reduce the number of flights they take into the bargain. We’ve worked hard to build delightful journeys that don’t rely on flights, and we stand by the principle that travelling through the world is better than flying over it.

That’s why we’ve declared a climate emergency, joining a collective of over 140 travel organisations and companies along with many other industries who are coming together to find sustainable solutions to the climate crisis.

As a signatory of Tourism Declares:

1. We accept current IPCC advice stating the need to cut global carbon emissions to 55% below 2017 levels by 2030, in order to keep the planet within 1.5 degrees of warming.

2. We are developing a ‘Climate Emergency Plan’ which sets out our intentions to reduce carbon emissions over the next decade. We’ll ensure our ‘Climate Emergency Plan’ represents actions designed to achieve this as a minimum, through delivering transparent, measurable and increasing reductions in the total carbon emissions per customer arising from our operations and the travel services sold by us. 

3. We’ll share an initial public declaration of our plan and update on progress each year.

4. We’ll work with our suppliers and partners, encouraging them to join us in signing Tourism Declares, share best practice amongst peers and actively participate in the Tourism Declares community.

5. We recognise the need for system change across the industry and will work with others to accelerate a just transition towards carbon-free tourism.