The implications of Paris’ “science-based targets”

According to precepts set out in the Paris Agreement, the global hotel industry will have a tough pill to swallow in the years ahead. Current practices in energy efficiency alone will not suffice, writes Eric Eduardo Ricaurte Greene. And even if every hotel on earth were to achieve LEED certification, it still wouldn’t be enough. To address the reality of sustainable development, he says, we need to transition almost fully to renewable energy and go much deeper into energy efficiency. But there’s a catch: fewer and fewer hotel companies actually own their hotels, so some serious negotiations with owners and investors loom in the not-very-distant future.