“Science opened up the door”: Intrepid’s Dr Susanne Etti on finding her climate calling

I never thought I would end up working in the tourism business. My background is in science. I am a biologist.

It was a subject I was always excited to study; the science of life, to understand ecosystems and how things work. But having that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning, with its focus on data and applying a magnifying glass to things, has been like a thread tying different parts of my life together. Science opened up the door for me to create change, as well as to see the world and learn how travel and tourism can have a positive impact.

My love of nature has always gone hand-in-hand with an awareness of the impact we have on our environment. Growing up in Germany, our family holidays meant hiking or skiing in the European Alps. I saw glaciers, but I also saw them changing.

During my A-Levels, the deforestation of the Amazon was always in the news. When I had the opportunity to visit a tropical rainforest in Ecuador for fieldwork, it was mind-blowing. I saw the wonders of a primary forest—but also the impact logging was having on biodiversity.

During my Master’s and PhD programs—researching how infectious diseases like malaria and Lyme disease were impacted by changing climates—I started working in other industries. I realized there were so many other opportunities to create change outside of that ‘ivory tower’ of academia, especially in the climate space.

My first full-time job was with a sustainability consultancy in the area of climate change and corporate sustainability. I worked there for 12 years, with the job taking me to the UK, Thailand and Australia. Around this time, we were seeing the impacts of climate change getting worse year-on-year, and I committed myself to working solidly in the climate space. That’s when I saw this role at Intrepid.

I’m very fortunate at Intrepid to lead our climate action work, but it doesn’t just sit with me or the board. The thing we all need to understand is that climate action happens at all levels. This is not an issue that will be solved at a government or business level alone. It is up to everyone.

I loved that it was focused on climate change and I was inspired that Intrepid had an integrated report I could review to understand what they were doing. They had been carbon neutral since 2010, but they were also looking at what was next. They took a leap to hire a scientist.

I think businesses need to recognize that scientists are a really good addition to the team. We bring another view to it. We need to support STEM, and in particular, we need to support women in STEM. I’m very fortunate that I had these opportunities through where I was born and grew up, but we need to enable women globally to study.

Since joining Intrepid, I have gained an appreciation of travel as a force for good.

We know sustainability doesn’t travel with you; whether you recognize the water is not safe to drink or the same recycling options are not available. But as we adopt sustainable and regenerative travel practices, we help educate our customers and give them an appreciation for nature. At Intrepid, we have also moved beyond being carbon neutral and are now looking at decarbonizing travel. Our emissions reduction target is based on science around keeping the Earth within the 1.5 degrees of warming, as set out by the Paris Agreement, and this target is our north star as to how much and how quickly we need to decarbonize.

I’m very fortunate at Intrepid to lead our climate action work, but it doesn’t just sit with me or the board. The thing we all need to understand is that climate action happens at all levels. This is not an issue that will be solved at a government or business level alone. It is up to everyone.

We need all staff to understand what their role is, why we focus on the carbon footprint of our trips, how we can innovate in areas like low-carbon on-ground transport, and to realize that for us, climate action is not an add-on: It’s central to our work.

Individual action also needs to happen. This includes how you vote politically, but it can also be how you vote with your money. Can you support businesses that are doing the right thing? Where is your superannuation, or 401k? Who do you bank with?

We are seeing people thinking more seriously about the planet, which gives me hope. But when you look at the recent IPCC report or the historic heatwave that is happening in Asia, it is clear that we need to act now.

My advice for people is just start today, don’t delay it. And embrace science! A career in science can take you to the most amazing places and it is needed everywhere.

As told to Wendy Williams.

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