Just in case you haven't seen it, you can download the Icarus Discussion paper on Climate Change here.
Download icarus_discussion_paper.pdf
We welcome and really want your comments, creative ideas and concerns - so please send your comments by clicking on "comments" at the foot of this post.
Anna Pollock
I am writing this several thousands of miles away from Canada. Sadly I am not in Bali but in Europe, from which vantage point it is less and less possible to ignore the way in which Canada's reputation for fairness, forward thinking and international diplomacy is being trashed so visibly by a Premier who can think only of his own self interest. The issue is no longer about left and right politics and shaming others; it is simply about taking the right action now. The western world has grown prosperous and mean spirited on the back of cheap oil and cheap credit. Both may be diminishing in supply and that will bring its own set of challenges and conflicts.
Right now, however, as Canadian citizens, we have a chance in Bali to do the right thing; to create a multilateral, multi-national agreement and, thereby, show that each of recognizes that nature knows no political boundaries. We're all in this together, rich and poor...., urban or rural, environmentalist or capitalist.
But our democratic rights are curtailed. Unless we petition our leaders between elections, they appear to be able to do what they wish or think they can get away with. many are cut off from voter sentiment by advisors, pundits, spin merchants. There's a small window available. Avaaz - a social network of concerned citizens invites Canadians to expres their concerns by signing a petition.
I reproduce their e-mail in full below. Click on Avaaz above or the first link in their email below to get to the petition form quickly.
Dear friends,
Right now, a major UN summit in Bali has just a few days left to hammer out an agreement on stopping catastrophic climate change. But instead of helping out, Canada is actually sabotaging the UN talks! On Saturday, experts gave us the global "fossil" award for being the worst country in the world on climate change.
There's still a few days left to save Canada's reputation -- and the climate -- but we need a massive democratic roar to remind our Prime Minister what Canada is all about, and stop him from blocking the world at Bali. Click below to sign the petition and we'll advertize the number of signatures we get in an ad campaign across Canada this week. Our goal is to get 25,000 people to sign in just 3 days before the ads run. Click below, then forward this email to all your friends and family right away:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/another_canadian_climate_crime/4.php
Enough is enough. Prime Minister Harper's short-sighted, undemocratic and big oil-driven policy on climate change is damaging the world and destroying our image as a good country. We're supposed to be the nice guys, who try to do the right thing in the world.
The vast majority of Canadians are hopping mad on this issue -- we can win this. We just need to show Harper how serious we are that he change course. Sign up now and forward this email to everyone you know - we've got just 3 days to hit 25,000 signatures!
With much respect and hope,
Ricken Patel,
Avaaz.org
PS - Here are links to some more info on this:
David Suzuki (the Nature of Things) calls the government's spin on climate change "humiliating" and "ludicrous"
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/283829
The former editor-in-chief of CBC news discusses the damage done by Canada's climate policy to our international reputation:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_burman/2007/12/canada_flounders_on_issue_of_c.html
The Fossil of the Day Award site:
http://www.avaaz.org/fossils
It’s Official. Over 400 delegates from 110 countries were delivered an uncompromising message at the Second International Conference on Climate Change organized by the UNWTO, UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). For recent coverage, see Swiss Info and check the UNWTO climate change pages here.
We met under clear autumnal skies in the pristine mountain resort of Davos, the brilliant sunshine bouncing off the sparkling granite mountains and burbling rivers transporting melted glaciers to the ocean -- an idyllic setting with only the multiple contrails of jet aircraft on their flight path from Milan overhead to provide sensory evidence of the impending crisis.
So what was the official line, what was communicated most clearly?
· Climate Change is Unequivocal (WMO & UNEP)
· Climate Change is no longer an environmental issue but a developmental issue (UNEP)
· Tourism is both a victim and a vector of climate change (UNWTO)
· If global average temperatures reach 2 degrees Centigrade above pre-industrial levels, the impact on global tourism will be devastating – the author of the IPCC report on Ecosystem Impacts, Dr. Fischlein, came from Zurich to deliver this news to the conference in person. (IPCC)
· Even if all emissions generated by human activity ceased today, the global average temperature will rise by 1.4 degrees C in a matter of decades, so the 2 degree threshold/tipping point is not that far off.
· Tourism pumps 1.3 million megatons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually – just 5% of the global total. (UNWTO report commissioned of a panel of scientific exports as a major contribution to the conference)
· Tourism is, apprently, in danger of being demonized by the western press (notably in Europe) and prevented from fulfilling its vital role of poverty alleviation and wealth transfer.
· Less developed nations will be doubly hit if demand declines and climate changes continue to increase adaptation costs.
· Tourism should play a leadership role by encouraging the global community to develop and implement both mitigation and adaptation strategies now and ensure the tourism community is involved and its unique contribution taken into account.
Now this marks a huge step in bringing the climate change agenda forward and the organizers are to be highly commended. Justifiably described as a remarkable exercise in institutional collaboration, personnel from UNWTO, UNEP, WMO and WEF had clearly worked very hard to ensure we didn’t lack for information. The agenda was packed with over 30 presentations delivered between 3:0 PM on Monday Oct 1 to 12:0 noon on Wednesday. Some might say too packed as there was limited room for serious debate. But the mission of this event was clear from the start – we were there to observe and contribute to a second set of words on the subject: the UNWTO’s Second Declaration on Climate Change and Tourism and that mission was accomplished pretty well.
The draft Declaration document was a brilliant piece of “word smithing” and diplomatic craftsmanship and serves its purpose – it declares tourism’s concern, identifies the actions required of its stakeholders and can be used by policy makers and advocates to direct attention. But sadly, it is not enough to prevent the earth’s thermostat from continuing to move upwards. To achieve that, we need more discipline, clarity and downright honesty. For example:
· Implied, but never discussed with rigor, was the notion that tourism’s contribution to wealth distribution and poverty alleviation should justify special treatment for tourism compared to other sectors. It was as if tourism had recently discovered religion – a moral reason for existence when, for so many years, the message was consistently financial and employment. We must be careful how this message is conveyed as “our” sincerity and track record will be subject to laser like scrutiny by the same press that “demonize” tourism for its carbon footprint. Supposing other sectors like agriculture and power generation used the same argument – that they should be let off the hook because they produce the food we eat or the energy used to heat and or cool our dwellings?
· There was no response to the IPCC recommendation that the 2 degree C warming increase could possibly be avoided only if emissions peak between 2010 and 2015 and only if global emissions are then reduced to between 25 and 50% by 2050. Is tourism willing to lose 2100 megatons of excess carbon weight each year by 2050? If so how?
· There was no emphasis given to the impact that climate change will have on the global economy - either for the worse or better. There was no mention of the Stern report and discussion of the distinct possibility that WTO's optimistic forecasts might need to be revised downwards if global demand does more that simply adjust geographically and seasonally.
· There was no opportunity for delegates to exchange invaluable information and experience regarding actions that have worked in their jurisdictions in terms of reducing carbon emissions. That will have to happen now and in another post I’ll suggest ways in which we could do that.
Don’t get me wrong – it was a start of an arduous journey and, again, the organizers should be commended highly for their efforts. It’s now up to each of us engaged in the tourism industry to move out of denial, anger, fear or even bargaining into concentrated focus on mitigation and adaptation action.
25 years have passed since Rio. We were warned then but did little but grow. Business as usual prevailed. We no longer have time on our side.
The Icarus Foundation will endeavour in the next few days and weeks to address and discuss the topics that formed the agenda at Davos. The UNWTO has promised to make all the presentations to the public who didn't wish to burn more carbon getting there but can use the invaluable material to help this industry play its part in addressing the biggest issue of the century.
Yesterday at the Annual General Meeting of the Vancouver Coast and Mountain tourism association,in beautiful Pemberton, under the watchful gaze of majestic Mount Currie, I presented the first rough thoughts about how Canada could move from a good to great destination.
Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, once remarked that "what a company stands for is becoming more important than what it sells". This statement applies to tourism destinations as well. Most tourists can be pretty confident that a country as mature and as wealthy as Canada will offer decent transportation, accommodation and hospitality services and a range of interesting things to see and do. Bu
t what is Canada all about? What do we stand for as a country? How can we differentiate ourselves by standing out for the land we call home and that we share with the plants, animals and landscapes our visitors come to see? Do the policies emanating from our national leaders reflect our views and concerns? If not, how do we communicate an alternative, more grass roots vision? Canada used to attract respect because of its international peacekeeping role but that strength has ebbed and Canada's prominence in the consciousness of global citizens has probably never been more subdued, more fuzzy and more overshadowed by our neighbour to the south.
It's time for tourism to play its full role in Canada and help to re-shape its image in the eyes of the rest of the world. This is especailly needed in Europe that remains a vitally important source of long-haul, "high yield" visitors yet where a growing number of conscious consumers are seriously contemplating reducing their long-haul travel.
One in four respondents to a Trip Advisor survey conducted recently said that they plan to reduce the number of trips taken each year and 38% would prefer an "environmentally friendly" hotel and pay for it.
Given that traffic from our closest neighbour - the US - continues to plummet and our dependence on either domestic or long-haul sources will neeed to rise to compensate, then some creativity and innovation is overdue.
What we need is a Green Tourism Strategy - a bold vision for an industry that is willing to:
1. Tell the truth. Tourism, as currently practiced and growing at or aspiring to grow at rates of over 4% per annum is unsustainable. Unless we find a way of reducing that impact, any growth in this sector will impede national efforts to reduce ghgs and will render our sector subject to closer scrutiny and possibly regulation and taxation. That's because we rely on a fossil fuel to bring our guests to the point of the consumption and generate a variety of noxious, heat trapping wastes in the process;
2. Face up to our responsibilities. It's one thing to be asked to be recognised as important, it's another to then assume responsibility for the consequence of our importance. Just how much does the tourism industry contribute to national and global greenhouse gas emissions and what are we doing to reduce that contribution? Have we weighed ourselves in carbon terms recently?
3. Re-think the nature of the product sold - how do we enrich and fulfill our customer's search for rest, relaxation, meaning and purpose? Where and how has our obsesson with cost cutting, efficiency, process and product distracted us from our essence and impaired our ability to care for our clients? How often have you walked through airport security recently? All the root words associated with tourism - recreation (to re-create), holiday (from holy day - time out contemplating something other than one's material existence), vacation (from vacare, latin to empty, to let go) suggest that we can play a vitally important role in meeting customer's spiritual and emotional needs. Our worsening health care statistics (stress, diabetes, cancer, depresson, mental illness) also suggest that it's in national interest that we soothe and calm.
4. Slow down and limit supply. Newsweek (May 14-21, 2007) ran a series on t
ourism. Interestingly the cover title in Europe was "Slow is Beautiful" . In the US it was "luxury travel". Never has the notion of "less is more" been more appropriate. The issue was full of articles showing that when supply was limited and labelled "exclusive" and "luxury" then yields soared; when customers slowed down and saw less but experienced more, more money was left on the table. Can growth be understood as better rather than simply more? Before we blanket more green space with second homes and car parks, can we ensure that every existing supplier is operating at full efficiency - generating maximum yield and profit before encouraging more investment? Can we increase average annual occupancy of existing facilities from 60+% to a situation where there might even be a waiting list? Can we increase average daily spend?
5. See the challenge of Climate Change as an Opportunity to be embraced and not a Problem to be resisted, avoided or ignored. The good news is that a growing number of consumers want to save the world too. They are the one's influencing progressive politicians at city, province and state level to be proactive. They are the ones that are enabling Green Brands such as Whole Foods, Toyota, Patagonia etc to enjoy higher than average profits. Canada's tourism cannot afford to be caught up in the downward vortex of commoditisation - we have to attract customers who value our clean, green, wild spaces and the comforts and excitement of our contemporary urban areas.
The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), that focuses analysing on the high yielding green market, stated yesterday that customers are seeking a deeper values experience.
"The retail and brand "New Luxury" explosion that made consumers expect an extremely high level of experience at every touch point is now evolving beyond the physical and emotional dimension to the experience of fundamental core values. From luxury hybrid cars to couture dresses made from organic and sustainable fabrics, it is not enough to have it all, consumers also want to feel better about what they have."
Canada has the chance to satisfy this growing demand for meaning and our visitors' slow but steady progress towards redefining wealth as "wellth", balance and wholeness. But to capture and serve that market, we need to get back to the very essence of what it is we offer and ensure that every step along the visitor's journey, we can deliver verifiably responsible, "green", wholesome, value while supporting our customer's in achieving their need for calm, re-jevenation, peace.
A radical re-think of how we market Canada, how we define growth and progress, how we serve our customers and what we stand for is needed. Nothing less will earn us the accolade "great". Nothing less is worth aiming for. Achieving such a re-think' stimulating a nation-wide conversation about tourism's place in a greener world, is what The Icarus Foundation is all about. Come join in the conversation.....Anna Pollock
I came across this video reading Patagonia's blog. One of their former reps, Hansi Johnson, has turned filmaker.Hansi comes from Duluth and was asked to make a film for the new, environmentally-themed album Drums and Guns by Low.
The short movie accompanies the track called Belarus which Hansi compares to his hometown of Duluth. It includes childhood films of ski events and compares them with the quality of skiing in and around the town of Duluth today.....
This what Hansi has to say about it:
It is a short three-minute flick that uses Nordic skiing as a vehicle to make people understand what the warming trends are doing to historical ways of living. The video is getting some really cool comments from a lot of people who are not skiers, never have been and never will be. So in that regard it has been a great way to one, introduce the sport to the general public, and two, make them see blatantly that [skiing] is something that is being directly affected by global warming and the loss of snow.
Posted by Anna Pollock
This post might have been titled: “How Many Five Star Generals Does it Take to Turn off the Light?” or “American Declares War on Climate Change”.
Perhaps when America’s military might turns its attention to the issue of climate change, we can expect its federal policy makers to sit up and listen attentively.
A report issued yesterday by the Alexandria, Va.-based, national security think-tank The CNA Corporation was written by six retired admirals and five retired generals. It warned that in the next 30 to 40 years there will be wars over water, increased hunger instability from worsening disease and rising sea levels and global warming-induced refugees. It further predicted that "The chaos that results can be an incubator of civil strife, genocide and the growth of terrorism.
The Generals, used to thinking strategically, highlight the interdependencies that multiply impacts of the increase in global temperatures. Here’s a section from the Executive Summary:
“Unlike most conventional security threats that involved a single entity acting in specific ways and points in time, climate change has the potential to result in multiple chronic conditions, occurring globally within the same time frame. Economic and environmental conditions in already fragile areas will further erode as food production declines, diseases increase, clean water becomes increasingly scarce, and large populations move in search of resources. Weakened and failing governments, with an already thin margin for survival, foster the conditions for internal conflicts, extremism and movement toward increased authoritarianism and radical ideologies”.
Some critics have suggested that the generals have exaggerrated the importance of such threats in the short run and that it will take more than 30 years for such interdependencies to manifest. But given that tourism is so dependent on the free movement of people and absence of political unrest, let alone terrorism, it's a thought provoking and sobering read and should be mandatory reading for demand forecasters and scenario planners, You can download it here. http://cna.org/
Author: Joe Kelly
The ski industry is arguably one of the most vulnerable sectors to the impacts of global warming. Consider, for example, Kitzbuhel, the Austrian ski resort that hosts the famous Hahenkamm downhill race, one of the most famous and most treacherous ski races on the world cup circuit and is now dying a slow death. Within two decades, there simply won’t be enough snow to support skiing on the legendary slopes. That’s the finding of a recent report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the first study to assess the economic impact of global warming on European leisure.
Kitzbuhel is by no means alone. In the Alps, for instance, ski resorts below 1,050 metres – such as the famous Kitzbuhel – will no longer be viable within 20 years. Glaciers will all but disappear within 45 years and all but the highest ski resorts will close. Global warming will impact ski areas on this side of the Atlantic as well, with lower altitude resorts experiencing a fate similar to their Alpine counterparts.
Both the Swiss government and the Swiss tourist industry are acutely aware of the problem - the Swiss Info site is a rich resource of information about the problem and the solutions that the ingenious Swiss are developing to tackle such a huge change in their operations, way of life and incomes.
According to Swiss Info, nine destinations in the Bernese Alps commissioned a study by Bern University., "Climate change and tourism – an analysis of scenarios for the Bernese Oberland up to the year 2030" that points out that the effects are manifold and complex.
They cannot, it says, be reduced to a simple formula equating rising temperatures with the disappearance of snow and therefore the death of skiing.However, winter revenues will drop by around 30 per cent, and more than one-third of the region's ski areas could cease to exist. Summer tourism, on the other hand, could increase.
But ironically, as the number of viable ski destinations diminishes, skiers and snowboarders will be forced to travel further to seek out slopes with adequate snow coverage. Like a snake eating its own tail, the emissions generated by the increased travel will contribute further to global climate change, sending the ski industry into a deeper downward spiral.
Another report, prepared in the UK by Halifax Insurance has suggested that ski holidays will soon become expenseive luxuries. The report's author, Bill McGuire, the professor of geohazards and director of the Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre, said Alpine temperatures had increased by 2C since the 1970s. Further warming could cause the area's resorts to experience a 30% reduction in snow cover by 2020, rising to a 50% decline by the 2050s,
Realizing this predicament, some ski resorts including Whister in Canada, have begun to take significant steps to reduce their so-called "carbon footprint." Site of alpine events for the 2010 Olympics, this mountain resort has made a strong commitment to reducing its footprint with a range of environmentally friendly strategies. These include:
While these initiatives are ambitious, they are only a drop in the bucket in terms of minimizing the effects of global warming. For the most part, the viability of ski areas will depend on the actions of others – households, firms and governments – to combat global warming. Without concerted efforts at all levels, the ski industry is doomed to go the way of the Dodo or, to use a more fitting metaphor, the way of Kitzbuhel.
There's a growing evidence to suggest that concerns about climate change will depress some market demand for long-haul travel. British consumers, now used to making several short-haul trips on low cost airlines, are being encouraged to travel by train and it's becoming politically correct to "cut back" long-haul trips. Whether this is a long-term trend, or a short-term reaction to recent media coverage, has yet to be determined. But Canadian destinations are advised to keep a closer eye on shifts in consumer values and behaviour. Here's just one example. We'll post more.
According to a press release put out by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) that describes itself as a progressive think tank based in the UK, Government should introduce cigarette-style health warnings on all advertising for air travel, holidays that include flights, and at airports.
The ippr argues that providing consumers with highly visible information about the impacts their flying has on the environment will make people think more about the implications of their travel. The report says it would work in a similar way to health warnings on cigarette packs which help to encourage people to give up smoking. The report recommends:
Simon Retallack, ippr Head of Climate Change, said:
“The evidence that aviation damages the atmosphere is just as clear as the evidence that smoking kills. We know that smokers notice health warnings on cigarettes, and we have to tackle our addiction to flying in the same way....."
The report also recommends that:
The ippr book titled, Positive Energy: Harnessing people power to prevent climate change, by Simon Retallack and Tim Lawrence with Matthew Lockwood, will be published in April. It sets out a series of recommendations on how to stimulate climate-friendly behaviour through changes in domestic energy use and transport choices.
Anna Pollock is a strategist, futurist and change agent who has consulted to the international tourism industry for over 30 years. DestiCorp' s clients include the federal and provincial governments in Canada, the World Travel and Tourism Council, PATA, the European Travel Council, Visit Scotland, the Canadian Tourism Commission, and many other smaller destination marketing organizations. Anna is recipient of the Tourism Visionary Award from British Columbia's tourism sector in recognition of her pioneering work in a number of sectors including adventure travel, spa and wellness tourism, education and development and industry organization. Please contact Anna at 604 218 5103 or email annapollock@shaw.ca.
Dr. Joe Kelly is an accomplished tourism researcher and advisor on climate-friendly travel. With over 10 years of professional experience, he has provided strategic consulting services to numerous public and private sector clients in tourism and transportation. His expertise is in evaluating the environmental impacts of travel and in assessing visitor responses to environmentally sound tourism initiatives. Notably, he was the first to develop a comprehensive model of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for tourism destinations. Joe is currently the Director of Strategic Services at InterVISTAS Consulting. He is also an active board member of Connecting Environmental Professionals and an Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia.
Dr. Rachel Dodds has over 17 years of experience in the tourism industry and is a specialist in sustainable tourism. Rachel is currently the Director of Sustaining Tourism, a consultancy firm as well as an Assistant Professor at Ryerson University in Toronto. She has worked in all facets of the tourism industry including tour operators, hotels, governments, NGOs and small businesses. Her experience includes working with the World Bank, European Union, Caribbean Tourism Organization, International Business Leaders Forums International Tourism Partnership and WWF as well as Canadian experience with tour operators and Toronto's Green Tourism Association.
Dr. Peter Williams is Professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management and Director, Centre for Tourism Policy and Research at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia. Recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from The Travel and Tourism Research Association, he has made a significant contribution to the development of policy and planning frameworks that guide the sustainable use of natural and cultural resources for tourism purposes.
Pat Corbett is owner, manager of The Hills Health Ranch in central British Columbia. In addition to being a current Vice President of the Board of Directors of COTA, Pat is also the Chair of the Canadian Spa Association and a national distributor of spa products. Past board experience includes the BC Progress Board, past Vice Chair of Tourism BC, and the Canadian Tourism Commission. Pat is also a past President of the Cariboo Tourism Association and past Chair of COTA.
Sonya Graci is an Assistant Professor in the Tourism and Environment Department at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. Sonya is also the Director of Accommodating Green, a consulting firm that focuses on integrating sustainability practices into businesses mainly in the tourism industry. She has had extensive experience with greening the tourism industry with a focus on the hospitality sector. She has worked on several projects in North America, Asia and Central America working with stakeholders through partnerships to move the tourism industry towards sustainability
Language can be a dangerous thing. If we use and misuse a word often enough and in the wrong context, its meaning becomes distorted or weakened. Paradigm is a word that has suffered this fate. So is the word sustainability. A common definition describes sustainable actions as those which, if undertaken today will not compromise the future of subsequent generations. If we believe what the scientists are saying and that mankind’s current economic, social and technological systems are destroying the biosphere on which we depend, then sustainability is wishful thinking, unless we change the way we do our economy, society and technology.
This is particularly true of tourism which has proudly been touted as “green” and non-polluting, simply because we are not associated with smoke stacks, urban sprawl and large manufacturing complexes.
Tourism is like the powerful Indian Goddess Shiva – both an enabler and a destroyer. When growing globally at over 4.0% per year, and burning a precious, non-renewable fossil fuel that emits a cocktail of warming, toxic gases, tourism can hardly be called sustainable in its current form. We've borrowed our name from the story of in Greek mythology - Icarus was the son of Daedalus who ignore the wise instructions of his father. They used wax to bind bird's wings to their arms in order to fly out of their prison. The scheme would only work provided they did not fly too low when their wings could get wet and drag them into the water or too high where the sun's rays would melt the wax..... And what do most cocky, inexperienced adolsecents do when given an instruction from a parent?????
Ironically, in many developing nations, tourism may be the only source of income available to fund adaptation strategies to an event (climate change) generated by the very same regions from which their visitors are derived.
So we’re not anti tourism – the founders of the Icarus Foundation have long and credible histories serving an industry we love and that we believe has much to offer host and guest alike. We want it to continue to a powerful force for good – to spread wealth, alleviate poverty, enhance cultural understanding, enrich cultures, conserve natural resources and ensure peace and harmony. But we don’t believe those benefits will accrue or be sustainable in the long run unless we face reality today.
Tourism as Both "Victim" and "Perpetrator"
Tourism is a “victim” of climate change – many, many businesses, much capital investment and many human lives are at stake over the next 20-50 years due to the dependency of tourism services on natural environments which are experiencing unprecedented rates of change and deterioration. Some, such as those in new Orleans, the Maldives, Tuvulu are already feeling the power of water to destroy as well as succor.
Tourism is already a major perpetrator of climate change: we’re the only industry that has to move its customers to the point of consumption. Where international travel is concerned, the favored and, in some cases, the only form of transport is air, which relies on the burning of a noxious and precious fuel . There are serious limits to the amount of additional efficiencies that can be extracted from current technology.
Nobody in the developed world really wants to give up what has become a very pleasant habit – exploring distant and different cultures and landscapes while relaxing from the daily grind. Nobody could possibly want to deprive others of this pleasure. Our economy is now unable to turn the clock back – it operates in a highly connected, densely populated village not vast and empty space. So international air travel will continue to grow at an exponential rate. The horse has bolted……
So what’s to do?
If we wish tourism to be recognized as the economic force it claims to be, then it must assume responsibility for its share of the problems besetting the whole.
That requires:
Without doubt, tourism is about to experience a radical shakeup. Many of the emerging markets on which we will depend in 25 years - after the baby boomers have finally become too stiff and sedentary to travel - may well then be pre-occupied with adaptation strategies at home designed to avoid widespread starvation and displacement of their poorer rural peers. According to the IPCC some 400 million Indians may be at severe risk from flooding and or water shortages by 2030. The impact of that on India’s economy will be profound.
At the Icarus Foundation in Canada, we’re trying to make our contribution and welcome dialogue with our peers. By working together, we may succeed in truly sustaining tourism and making a contribution to planetary health as well. We invite you to join on this new journey into the unknown – we’re all Star Trekkers now.
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