Intrepid Travel has announced significant changes to its decarbonisation approach for 2026, including the replacement of its carbon offsetting programme with a new Climate Impact Fund redirecting $2 million each year into practical emissions reduction initiatives.
The fund will enable the business to switch more readily to the use of electric vehicles; invest in renewable energy in its hotels and offices; and work with more than 10,000 suppliers globally to decarbonise.
Another significant change will be moving away from the Science Based Targets Initiative, which Intrepid committed to in 2020. These will be replaced by a new lifecycle 8% carbon intensity reduction target, focused on reducing emissions per trip, by 2030. The company will also continue to have a specific 21% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (offices, trips, accommodation) by 2030, from a 2024 base year.
For the first time, in a move that goes further than industry standards, Intrepid’s carbon reporting will cover the full lifecycle of travel – including flights booked directly by customers to get to and from their trips.
In a joint open letter, Intrepid Co-founder and Chair Darrell Wade and CEO James Thornton acknowledge that Intrepid, and the entire travel industry, is not on track to achieve a 1.5C future and more urgent action is needed.
“In 2020 we joined the Science Based Targets initiative with three near-term 2035 targets and backed that commitment by cutting flights on trips, promoting alternative transport, introducing carbon labelling on our trips, ceasing operations in Antarctica and more. These actions were real, tangible steps towards emissions reduction, but they haven’t been enough. The transition to renewable energy, sustainable aviation fuels and electric vehicles across the 117 countries in which we operate is progressing – but not fast enough.”
The new strategy places emphasis on tangible and immediate action. Intrepid’s Purpose team will engage with Intrepid’s 10,000+ suppliers, working across everything from providing loans to suppliers in countries such as India and Nepal to purchase EVs and installing solar panels in homestays in places like India.
The open letter adds: “Travel is a powerful tool to build empathy, shift perspectives, support local economies and drive global connections. But that power means little if we aren’t willing to grapple with its environmental cost. “Intrepid’s new approach to climate action is designed to reflect the urgency of this crisis and accelerate the work we need to do to decarbonise our business.”
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