Tourism
and Climate Change (Channel View, 2007) is a comprehensive overview
analyzing the impact of tourism on climate change and the the impact
of climate change on tourism. A top
shelf book and must read, particularly for participants in our
2008 E-Conference.
EXCERPTS
Many climate change mitigation and adaption measures offer real
opportunities to help meet biodiversity goals, including restoration
of native forest for carbon sequestration or replanting of mangrove
forest for coastal protection. But there is also the possibility
that measures to reduce the climate-related risks will have detrimental
effects on biodiversity. An example is the use of non-native species
or chemical fertilisers to facilitate revegetation. (pp. 301-302)
The world's airlines improved their fuel efficiency considerably
by around 50-70% between 1950 and 1997 and they reached an average
energy use of 4.81 of kerosene per 100 passenger kilometers in 1998.
Given the major improvements in the past, it is becoming increasingly
difficult to achieve efficiency gains. (p. 181)
Without tourists there is no tourism. In this sense tourists are
the main agents in the tourism system. Tourists exert substantial
influence through their purchasing behaviour ... Ecolabels are one
means to guide consumers in making their decisions, although There is little evidence to date that tourists recognize tourism ecolabels
and base their decisions on such labels. (p. 13)
Increasing attention is given to voluntary schemes for offsetting
emissions from airlne travel, but note that is still unclear whether
such schemes can make a significant contribution to enhancing the
sustainability of tourism. Current voluntary emissions reductions
need to be increased dramatically to become relevant. Importantly,
such schemes do nothing to reduce aviation emissions directly. In
fact, they may encourage people to believe that there is no need
to change their behaviour, thus creating irreversibility in currently
unstainable consumption and production patterns. The schemes also
give limited incentive to airlines to increase their fuel efficiency.
( p. 303)
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