About Us - Climate Friendly Travel

SUNx Malta "Climate Friendly Travel" Programme

Maurice Strong

(1929 - 2015)
Climate Activist & Sustainable Development Pioneer

SUN^x Malta is a not-for-profit programme, partnered with the Ministry of Tourism of Malta, and the Malta Tourism Authority, focused on “Climate Friendly Travel” ~ tourism that is low carbon: SDG-linked: nature-friendly. We continue the work of our mentor, the late Maurice Strong – Climate Activist and Sustainable Development pioneer.

We deliver education, & encourage behavioural change through our Diploma, Registry, Chapters, travel Club, and Services programmes. We help tourism companies adapt to extreme weather and peak emissions in 2025 for zero GHG 2050. We focus on the world’s poorest countries & small islands, engaging tomorrow’s young leaders. By 2030 we will motivate hundreds of “Plan B” climate friendly travel communities, thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of consumers. We do it for our kids.

As part of the CFT programme, we have launched – a global Registry for 2050 Zero GHG Ambitions to be a catalyst for increased sector carbon reduction and the Travel & Tourism conduit to the UNFCCC Climate Action Portal.

The CFT Registry is the gateway to the programme, and we encourage all travel and tourism companies from all over the world to join the CFT Programme by listing their company on the CEF Registry.

The Government of the Republic of Malta has partnered with SUN^x to create SUN^x Malta as the Global Centre for Climate Friendly Travel (CFT).

With these measures, Malta is signalling its intention as a small island state, with a big tourism economy, to also be a Climate Friendly Travel leader.

To advance this thinking we are:

Delivering an annual State of the Sector Report
Delivering a Climate Friendly Travel graduate Diploma with the Institute for Tourism Studies in Malta that will train 100,000 Strong Climate Champions by 2030;
Organising an annual virtual youth summit on Climate Friendly Travel – called the Strong Earth Youth Summit (SEYS) after Maurice Strong. Speakers will include climate activists and thought leaders in Climate Resilient and Sustainable Tourism; and
Managing a global Registry for 2050 Climate Neutral and Sustainability Ambitions to be the Travel & Tourism entry point to the UNFCCC Climate Action Portal.
Launching 50 national CFT Chapters in the Least Developed Countries of the world, Ukraine and a few other priority countries.
Helping to create sustainability and climate action plans for registered companies and communities

SUN^x Malta is a not for profit, EU based organization, partnered with the Government of Malta that has created a unique, low-cost system for companies and communities to help them transform to the New Climate Economy.

We continue the vision of our mentor, the late Maurice Strong – Climate Activist and Sustainable Development pioneer, to transform travel and tourism through acting as a conduit to mainstream UN Climate & Sustainability targets.

To achieve this we:

Advance and enable “Climate Friendly Travel” ~ Low Carbon: SDG linked: Paris 1.5 trajectory;
Deliver an annual State of the Sector Report and related Think Tank;
Have started a Climate Friendly Travel graduate Diploma with the Institute for Tourism Studies in Malta and will train 100,000 Strong Climate Champions by 2030;
Are organising an annual virtual youth summit on Climate Friendly Travel – called the Strong Earth Youth Summit (SEYS) after Maurice Strong. Speakers will include climate activists and thought leaders in Climate Resilient and Sustainable Tourism; and
Launched a global Registry for 2050 Climate Neutral and Sustainability Ambitions to be the Travel & Tourism entry point to the UNFCCC Climate Action Portal.

Why a Travel & Tourism Climate Friendly Travel Registry?

The idea of a Climate Neutral 2050 Ambitions Registry was built into the Paris 2015 Agreement, as a way for Parties to declare and increase their carbon reduction ambitions through 2050, so keeping global temperatures at levels suitable for human survival.

These so called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), are then filed and routinely updated on the UNFCCC Registry.

At the same time the Registry was extended to non-state actors – regions, cities, companies, etc – incorporating an earlier UNEP initiative aimed at stakeholders.

In our first sector review in 2019, SUN^x Malta highlighted this process, noting the limited engagement of Travel & Tourism stakeholders. Subsequently we agreed with UNFCCC to create a discrete Registry, to serve as a UNFCCC conduit, enabling full participation in the mainstream global Climate Action program.

How will Travel & Tourism stakeholders engage?

Commit to Climate Friendly Travel – low carbon; SDG linked; nature-friendly, to support the Paris 1.5 trajectory.
Create a Climate Action Plan for implementation of progressive reduction, and response to the effects of climate change
File the Plan on the SUN^x Malta Climate Friendly Travel Registry.
Receive complimentary help from the Registry Services and its Support Hubs.

How will it work?

The Registry will be open to all Travel & Tourism companies and communities, whether or not they have created a 2050 Carbon Neutral Ambition yet. It will cover transport, hospitality, travel service and infrastructure providers – from the smallest to the largest.

Registrants will have two years to benefit from the knowledge and information in our innovation, strategy, learning and visibility Hubs, to develop their plans. SUNx Malta will also be able to help directly through a network of service providers and technical assistance.

Registrants already embarked on a 2050 Plan will be able to simply incorporate details in the Registry, with little or no extra work and to cross reference any other mainstream carbon reduction initiatives or sustainability actions in which they are involved.

This Registry is complementary to such initiatives and will serve as a conduit for the sector into mainstream climate policy, as reflected in UNFCCC programs and the Global Climate Action Platform.

All Registrants must fill in Part A to express support for Climate Friendly Travel and a general Zero GHG by 2050 ambition. A CFT badge will be provided, which can be used for publicity and recognition.
You then have up to two years to learn about the ways to do this and prepare to register a Climate Action Plan
Advanced Registrants who are ready with a plan now - including those in other similar programmes -- must fill in Part B in addition. A higher-level badge will be issues for any company that has filed a credible Climate Action Plan.
All Registrants will be shown on the interactive maps which form the base of our public information system and are linked to the UNFCCC Climate Action Portal.
Thank you for helping to make a better world for our Kids