On June 27, Machu Picchu renewed its certification as a Neutral Carbon Wonder of the World. This international seal is awarded by Green Initiative, the leading company in climate certification for the tourism sector, which recognizes the fulfillment of its decarbonization goals and international commitments.
In this way, Machu Picchu has become the first tourist destination in Peru to drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the second Carbon Neutral Wonder in the World. Since the New7Wonders Foundation explained that the Puerto Princesa Underground River, as part of the city of Puerto Princesa, has been Carbon Neutral since 2011, that is, for more than 13 years, as internationally certified and recognized even by the then president of the Philippines himself.
As part of the certification, Green Initiative calculated the carbon footprint of Machu Picchu at 7,143.51 tCO2eq. Comparing this footprint with the base year of 2019, when the destination began its climate commitments, a significant reduction of 1,618.38 tCO2eq has been verified, representing an 18.47% decrease in total emissions.
“This reduction is not just a number: it is a testimony of our commitment to the environment and the future of our planet,” highlighted the officials of Machu Picchu.
This achievement is possible thanks to the collaboration between the public and private sectors, through a strategic alliance led by Inkaterra, Grupo AJE, the Municipality of Machu Picchu, and Tetra Pak.
The initiative is supported by Promperu, LATAM, World Xchange, Luz del Sur, Amazon Forests (BAM), Inca Rail and the National Chamber of Tourism of Peru (CANATUR).
The Municipality of Machu Picchu has adopted effective measures to reduce its carbon footprint and compensate for the remaining emissions, implementing sustainable practices in environmental management, such as innovative solid waste management and the promotion of a circular economy.
It is important to emphasize that the certification took as a baseline the carbon emission results of 2019 and focused on stimulating actions for the reduction, treatment and correct management of the waste generated, in addition to landscape regeneration actions in the Inca Citadel, as well as the awareness of residents, shops and hotels, with the aim of implementing a circular economy model and mitigating the carbon footprint.
In that line, four processes were implemented to reuse usable waste: the installation of a PET plastic and cardboard compacting plant; a biodiesel plant, to process oil waste from restaurants and casinos; an organic waste pyrolyzing plant, which allows the generation of “biochar” or natural coal; and two glass crushers to turn the bottles into sand for construction and ornamentation, in addition to manual handlers for bales in the collection center, waste segregation points throughout the municipality, and ecological restoration with 6,596 native trees planted, among others.
“As a pioneer of regenerative tourism in Peru, Inkaterra is committed to conserving the natural heritage of Machu Picchu,” said José Koechlin, founding president of Inkaterra.
“This alliance is a success story about the goals that can be achieved when the public and private sectors work hand in hand. With the support of the local community, the first destination in Latin America with a circular economy has been achieved. Peruvians enjoy the privilege of having this cultural and natural heritage of humanity, which entails the great responsibility of taking care of it for future generations,” he added.
In addition to the pyrolyzing plant, this circular economy model allows us to give a new life to usable waste, such as plastic, cardboard, Tetra Pak®️ packaging and glass, in addition to the treatment of oil that was not previously properly disposed, generating the contamination of rivers.
For the first case, a compacting plant was implemented that avoided 35.32 tCO2eq carbon emissions. While, for the second, a pilot plant was used to convert vegetable oil into biodiesel, avoiding 5.52 tCO2eq. carbon emissions.
“The result achieved in Machu Picchu is the product of an important collaborative effort; however, it is necessary to attract more financial and intellectual capital, with the help of national and international actors, that allows the accumulated experience to be expanded and scaled. The world needs references in climate action in tourism, and Machu Picchu can be a great laboratory of climate action and circular economy of global interest,” said Tatiana Otaviano, manager of institutional relations at the Green Initiative.
An effort that has been recognized worldwide by the UN Tourism, UNESCO, UN Climate Change and the UN International Trade, in addition to recognitions from international organizations such as Lonely Planet, which highlighted the initiative as one of the Top 10 Best World Tourism News in 2021.