South Pole's CEO and co-founder, Renat Heuberger, has been engaged as a social entrepreneur in the fields of sustainability, climate change and renewable energies since 1999. Here, he talks to NOW – a global community of likeminded people who believe travellers and the travel industry have the responsibility to be a Force for Good – and shares how he, both at South Pole and in his personal life, is walking the talk and working for a better tomorrow.

The UN estimates that nearly 2 billion people will be on the move by 2030, traveling to destinations all over the world. Travel and tourism can bring us a billion opportunities to make the world a better and more sustainable place — or a billion disasters, if we do not manage it properly.

With extreme weather events dominating international headlines, the air transport industry has been quick to take on board climate change adaptation plans – both to mitigate immediate climate risks and to build sustainability into operations. Riccardo asks, will operational sustainability be enough to position an airport as a true sustainability leader?

The path to a just, sustainable future isn't straightforward and global teamwork is needed to reduce emissions and mitigate the environmental, economic and social impacts this shift will create. One of the most broadly implemented voluntary measures available to companies and individuals who want to act now is carbon offsetting.

Thinking of ‘carbon emissions’ or ‘pollution’ typically evokes images of smog-filled cities or coal plants – not the clothes you’re wearing. Yet after agriculture and big oil, fast fashion is, with its many impacts on people and the planet, one of the most polluting industries in the world. It is also a complex business involving long and often obscure supply chains of raw materials, textile manufacturing, production, transport, retail, use and, ultimately, disposal. How will the fashion industry survive in an age where consumers, especially millennials – a market worth over EUR 13 trillion by 2025 – are demanding sustainability, accountability and transparency?

Montreal is one of the responsible investment hubs of the planet, with a thriving investment community. With over 60 PRI signatories and hundreds of people, Quebec is probably one of the most active regions for the Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) around the globe. During a recent trip to Canada, I had the chance to present at an informal gathering of experts of Montreal’s responsible investment community. I was asked to present a glimpse into Australian climate policy.

A survey found that Climate and Environment were the most important topics amongst Swedish voters when deciding on political party in the EU election last month. In fact, flying and meat consumption amongst Swedes decreased during 2017 and 2018 for the first time in a South Pole invited key sustainability players to the Climate Leaders Forum in Stockholm on 28th May to explore how businesses should respond to growing public demand for companies to take climate responsibility.

On World Environment Day, Colonial First State's Pablo Berrutti joined more than 700 people for Climate Reality Leader training in Brisbane. Led by Chairman Al Gore, and CEO Ken Berlin, the Climate Reality Leaders program has trained almost 20,000 people who in the first six months of 2019 have logged almost 19,000 ‘acts of leadership’ ranging from delivering Mr Gore’s famous presentation to writing blogs – like this one!

South Pole's Tom Schroder participated in the Brisbane edition of Al Gore's famous Climate Reality Leadership Corps training - three transformational days of learning, networking and inspiration. Read his personal impressions here.

In an age where flying places seems almost fundamental to doing business, South Pole Australia’s Jay van Rijn shares some tips for reducing your organisation’s emissions from air travel – and how South Pole’s partnership with travel industry data and solutions management provider, Tramada, is making it easier than ever to make those business flights that are unavoidable climate neutral.