December 12th, 2023
Dear Wine Trade CEOs,
While International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) supports the ongoing advances at COP28, we are deeply concerned at the lack of concrete progress.
Our association of wineries calls for more decisive action in addressing the real and increasing threat of climate change to our way of life, and to that of future generations.
We must work together to solve these deeply challenging global issues.
IWCA member wineries are committed to reducing GHG emissions and are dedicated supporters of the United Nations’ Race to Zero initiative. We are a collective that works to decarbonize the wine industry, and our mission is seriously compromised by the Conference of the Parties’ (COP) inability to stop new oil and gas exploration, and to agree on a date to phase out the use of all fossil fuels.
We are disappointed that this year’s COP conclusions lack forcefulness and have in no way advanced the vital move towards detaching the global economy from fossil fuels to achieve a meaningful reduction in GHG emissions.
The 2023 vintage has proved that climate change is our reality. We have experienced extremes of deep drought, intense heat and wildfires, and deep freezes in winegrowing regions around the world. According to the OIV global wine production is down by 7% this year, largely due to the effects of climate. In Spain this year, drought and heat has seriously affected yields, and in British Columbia and in the Niagara regions, deep spring frosts killed many vines. California may be celebrating this year, due to the much needed wet winter and a cooler than normal summer; however, recent vintages have not been as easy.
It is imperative that businesses such as ours, which rely on a stable climate and the quality of our soils, push emissions reduction to the top of the agenda.
On behalf of the global wine sector, IWCA urges the Conference of the Parties to agree on an end date for the use of fossil fuels at COP29. If we do not meet the 1.5C goal, our long-term survival as a business sector is jeopardized, and we will be forced to face significant impacts due to increasingly harmful climate change.
www.iwcawine.org
@iwcawine
IWCA’s forty-six-member winery CEOs across the world, representing 140 wineries and 2% of the world’s total wine production, are signing this Open Letter due to our belief in a transparent, science-based approach to GHG emission reduction. Together we renew our pledge as IWCA’s unifying voice for change promoting full carbon footprint disclosure and implementing emission reduction initiatives via robust and rigorous scrutiny.
Signed by the IWCA Board of Directors on behalf of its members:
- Miguel A. Torres, President of IWCA & Fourth Generation and President at Familia Torres
- Katie Jackson, Vice President of IWCA & Second Generation Proprietor & Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Jackson Family Wines
- Adrian Chitty, IWCA Board Member & Sustainability at A to Z Wineworks, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
- Julien Gervreau, IWCA Founding Board Member & Director, ESG and Sustainability Services at Sensiba LLP
- Mafalda Guedes, IWCA Board Member & Head of Corporate Communications and Sustainability at Sogrape
- Josep Maria Ribas Portella, IWCA Founding Board Member & Climate Change and Sustainability Director at Familia Torres
- Beth Weber Novak, IWCA Board Member & Second Generation and President & CEO at Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery
- Michael Wentworth IWCA Board Member & General Manager, Sustainability & Strategic Projects at Yealands Estate Wines
