So, let's talk green: Climate Change Even tourists can't escape the risk

Tourism is meant to be an energy giving, happy activity where tourists enjoy themselves, relax on beaches, take in the beautiful sights, rejuvenate their soul before getting back to the humdrum of life. What if this very activity that generates so much of happiness proves to be a threat?

Globally, climate change as a result of human activity, and unfettered tourism is beginning to have its effect on destinations which will eventually threaten tourism unless we step in now. In this first article, of a two part series, I will talk about the effects of climate change on tourism. In the subsequent article next week, I will talk about the detrimental effects of unplanned unsustainable mass tourism.

We need to be worried about this because tourism is a massive contributor to employment and subsistence for millions across the globe. According to the World Travel & Tourism council, tourism accounts for 10% of the global GDP valued at US$7.6 trillion, employing 277 million jobs (1 in 11 jobs) for the global economy in 2014.

Recent years have seen Travel & Tourism growing at a faster rate than both the wider economy and other significant sectors such as automotive, financial services and health care. Tourism is a rapidly growing source of income across India, producing 6.3% of the country’s GDP in 2015 and with a predicted annual growth rate of 7.5%, with the sector currently supporting 37 million jobs across the country.

A report titled climate Change-Implications for tourism, published by the Cambridge University details how tourism can be affected at a destination level gravely because of climate change. One of the impacts are rising sea levels and extreme weather will threaten coastal tourist infrastructure and erode and submerge beaches.

The impact to coastal economies that depend on tourism as a mainstay could be devastating. The second impact is that rising temperatures will reduce the viability of some winter sports destinations, affect biodiversity and lead to more forest fires. The third impact is acidification of oceans and rising sea temperatures will degrade and destroy coral reefs.

On October 11, Rowan Jacobson wrote a very poignant piece titled ‘Obituary: Great Barrier Reef’’, where he describes the devastation that the one of the greatest tourism spots of the planet is undergoing because of acidification of the oceans resulting from climate change.

‘The Great Barrier Reef of Australia passed away in 2016 after a long illness. It was 25 million years old. For most of its life, the reef was the world’s largest living structure, and the only one visible from space. It was 1,400 miles long, with 2,900 individual reefs and 1,050 islands. In total area, it was larger than the United Kingdom, and it contained more biodiversity than all of Europe combined. It harbored 1,625 species of fish, 3,000 species of mollusk, 450 species of coral, 220 species of birds, and 30 species of whales and dolphins.’

Researchers with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Queensland, reaffirm that in the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef, large volumes of corals may have died. That’s the part of the reef researchers say was, previously, the most pristine, the least damaged by pollution and other human influences.

Climate change as a result of human activity is not being recognised by folks in the tourism industry. Every time I try to talk to tourism stakeholders about the effects of climate change, I do not get their attention because they do not believe that tourism is being affected by climate change. Most of it stems from just lack of awareness of the science and reality behind climate change. Some of it stems from an I-don’t- care attitude. Both need to be addressed.

Lots to ponder for the tourism fraternity. Have any thoughts? Tweet me @cbramkumar. More next week….