International wineries commit to reduce global warming

By Marcela Knaup 2011-6-13 17:50:38

On 9 June, 2011, the “Declaration of Barcelona,” an international agreement by which the wine industry commits to fight climate change, was signed. The Viti-Viniculture industry is highly susceptible to climate change. Because of the vine’s sensitivity to changes in temperature and living conditions, wine regions may be affected by increasing temperatures. With the below Declaration, wineries pledge to create a cooperative movement to protect the climate, the vineyard and wine culture:

Manifesto of The Declaration:

· Reducing Emissions of carbon footprint per bottle produced to 20% in 2020.

· Building Sustainably using construction techniques that lower the use of natural resources.

· Using alternative energy sources to cover part of the thermal requirements of the winery.

· Implementing Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity to preserve the environment.

· Reducing water footprint by using water efficiently in agriculture and production processes.

· Using eco-designs in product packaging to minimize the impact on nature.

· Reducing Waste

· Distribute using energy-efficient transportation (rail, vehicles with lower fuel consumption etc.) and optimizing loads and routes.

· Developing research projects

· Communicating good environmental practices among workers and providers.

The declaration was signed during the ”Wineries for Climate Protection” Forum, which was organized by the Spanish Federation of Wine. The event was sponsored by the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) and was attended by the UN Envoy for climate change, and former President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos. The intent is to hold this event biannually in different wine regions of the world to debate and raise awareness of the impacts of climate change on the wine industry.

Global warming is currently one of the greatest social and environmental threats of the humanity. Reversing its effects requires a collective global effort. The goal is for wineries to assume their part of responsibility and make a commitment to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

If interested, please read and join the Declaration of Barcelona

From vinoadvisingblog.com