Tackling Africa's 'Superficial' Safari Problem

No wiggle room exists anymore for superficial business as usual.

That may not sound very profound as an argument against greenwashing, particularly greenwashing by travel and tourism companies.

But when the person delivering that message is the Hollywood actor Ed Norton, people listened.

Speaking earlier this month at the 2022 WTTC Summit in Riyad, Norton, who serves as a United Nations biodiversity ambassador, pulled out all the punches on greenwashing and what he called a "superficial set of sustainable commitments" that are just too easy for the tourism industry to dodge without accountability. 

If you didn't know, Norton has advocated for global biodiversity for more than 15 years. 

"The fact that somebody comes to look at wildlife at your camp does not make you an eco-tour operator," said Norton in conversation with Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of Saudi Tourism Authority, during the 2022 WTTC Summit in Riyad.

He singled out luxury safari operators that need to question where their energy comes from and whether they're using too much fossil fuel. They must explore sustainable water sources, and when it comes to being community-based, they need to mean it. Lastly, he stressed that measuring carbon neutrality to reach zero status is vital. 

Norton outlined how a U.S. aid grant helped build a 70 kilometer pipeline from a water-dressed community to supply ensuite plunge pools of a well-known luxury safari brand in West Africa. He refused to name the brand but emphatically stated he would