In a further strengthening of its Climate Friendly Travel System (CFT), EU based SUN^x Malta, announced a new SDG17 partnership with Germany’s Risklayer to support Climate risk analysis and resilience building.

The partnership adds a new dimension to the existing CFT system which helps Travel & Tourism Stakeholders understand and prepare to adapt to the eXistential Climate Crisis. Now, in addition to the UNFCCC linked CFT Registry for 2050 Ambition and with support from our young Strong Climate Champions Team, we will be providing a FREE Climate Risk and Resilience Screening based on Risklayer’s world - renowned “Hotel Resilient” platform already in use across the Asia Pacific Region.

Risklayer is adapting this highly successful Hotel Resilient program – best known for its internationally-recognized disaster risk management and Climate Change adaptation standards and technology-enabled resilience solutions for the hospitality sector - to the broader Travel & Tourism stakeholder community. The program which is widely used in the Asia Pacific is delivered online, self-administered and provides users with tailored metrics and targeted solutions to identify, assess and prepare for climate-related threats. A thrust of the collaboration between SUN^x Malta and Risklayer is to introduce software-supported systems for companies and communities to identify key climate-related threats and solutions for becoming more resilient. The collaboration will also extend to a training program to support “Strong Earth Champions” as climate risk and resilience trainees that will support enrolled companies and communities with complimentary support through the Climate Friendly Travel 2050 Ambitions Registry.

Professor Geoffrey Lipman, President of SUNx Malta, said “we are delighted to welcome Risklayer to our growing family of SDG 17 partners in the Climate Friendly Travel System – low carbon: SDG linked: Paris 1.5. With their science - based online Climate and Crisis Resilience technology, supported by our growing team of Strong Climate Champions, we now make it easier for all Travel & Tourism companies and communities to develop their unique Climate and Sustainability Plans, keep them updated and show their real commitment to transform to the new climate economy”

Dr. Bijan Khazai, Founder CEO of Risklayer said “To develop resilience, tourism companies and communities need to shift their focus from merely reacting to crises, to proactively identifying, analyzing and assessing risks while formulating their business strategies. Knowing how to do so and where to start is often the biggest challenge.  It’s great to link up with SUNx Malta to bring our proven Hotel Resilient platform to a wider global audience and to extend its reach beyond hotels across the entire Travel & Tourism supply chain. In partnering with SUNx Malta, we have found a similarly committed organization with a growing team of smart young passionate Climate Champions, reaching out to the local level to help companies and communities of all sizes better assess and sooner respond to the clearly mounting Climate Risks.

Lipman added “Last month’s devastating floods in Europe, extreme heat waves in the US and Canada, recent forest fires in Australia and the Siberian Tundra, monster hurricanes in the Caribbean – all push Climate Resilience higher up the international agenda. The latest leaked IPCC Report shows we are already at 1.2 degrees of the Paris 1.5° target for 2050. For Tourism Stakeholders who share our deep concerns, working closely with Risklayer enables SUNX Malta and the CFT system to better support their climate response.