Welcome to Locally Sourced, a biweekly Covering Climate Now newsletter for journalists working to localize the climate story. Share this newsletter with colleagues and journalism students interested in localizing the climate story.
Story Spark: Tourism
Rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather, and other climate-fueled hazards are reshaping tourism across the world. Look no further than the trend of “coolcations” to avoid the intensifying heat of traditional summer locales or the growing hesitation to travel to regions experiencing greater flooding or wildfire threats. As climate change makes travel more expensive, complicated, and stressful — many are choosing to simply stay home.
At the same time, more people are traveling to destinations that may soon disappear due to rising temperatures — creating an ethical dilemma for tourists. Air travel is especially carbon intensive, ultimately contributing to the environmental degradation of glaciers, coral reefs, and other environmental wonders that some people are racing to see.
To build climate resilience and protect fragile ecosystems, some tourism-dependant communities have passed tourism taxes; Hawaii’s “green fee,” for example, went into effect earlier this year and is expected to generate $100 million annually from the nearly 10 million who visit the island. Interested in reporting on tourism? Explore other ways tourist destinations are adapting to climate change’s impacts — whether it’s changing traditional dishes, shifting away from snow activities, or trying to save what is quickly being lost.
Expert Tips
Ajit Niranjan, The Guardian’s European environment correspondent, offers tips to help journalists report on tourism’s climate impact. Previously a climate reporter at DW News, he has highlighted the concept of “flight shame” and reported on why German petrolheads won’t slow down — despite the energy crisis.
Extreme weather hurts tourism. From Alpine ski resorts running out of snow to Mediterranean hotels choked by wildfires, the tourism industry is being hit by costly weather extremes. The financial toll is not limited to direct losses. Rising temperatures will push up food prices and insurance premiums — and that’s before factoring in investments for the green transition. While hotels and guesthouses may save money from putting solar panels on roofs and replacing gas boilers with heat pumps, the owners of planes and cruise ships will face huge costs running them on fuels that do not foul the air. There are plenty of human-interest and business stories to tell as the tourism industry changes — both for audiences jetting off on holiday and those struggling to adapt in the affected regions.
The economic benefits of tourism are real, but local. Tourism is thought to account for 10% of global GDP, a fact that politicians are quick to highlight when justifying airport expansions or handouts to airlines. But this obscures how much of that money would still have been spent if people were to relax closer to home. In countries like the UK, coastal towns that once hosted holidaymakers are now the sites of some of the worst deprivation in the country. Climate-vulnerable countries that have geared their economies around foreign tourists, on the other hand, will take a financial hit if tourism drops and face catastrophe if emissions keep rising. There is excellent reporting on how to transition away from fossil fuel extraction in a way that is fair to the communities who depend on it. Tourism deserves similar attention.
Travel is a small but growing source of pollution. Aviation, as the industry and its supporters like to point out, is just 2–3% of planet-heating pollution. That is mostly true and very misleading. First, all sectors of the economy must decarbonize to stop the planet heating. Second, the technological alternatives to jet fuel — unlike the clean replacements for generating electricity, heating homes or driving cars — are scarce and expensive. Third, only an estimated 5% of the world population will get on a plane in a given year, and if people in poor countries flew as much as those in rich ones, the sector would soon become one of the biggest sources of pollution. Putting tourism’s emissions in context — as incomes rise and other parts of the economy electrify — it’s essential to help readers understand the impact of their choices.
Stories We Like
- In El Salvador, a world-class surfing destination, a first-of-its-kind climate insurance seeks to protect livelihoods and ecosystems threatened by increasing extreme weather events, The Guardian reports.
- In Iceland, a fatal accident highlights the growing danger of glacier tourism, as more visitors arrive to the island amid warming temperatures, Grist reports.
- As the Iran war leads to skyrocketing oil prices, WIRED explores how airlines are preparing for an oil crisis ahead of summer travel.
- With winters warming faster in Canada than any other season, ski resorts must rely on expensive snowmaking, pricing out more visitors, CBC reports.
- In addition to being a renowned tourist destination, Mexico’s arid Baja Peninsula is a poster child for climate-driven desertification. Yale Climate Connections explores how the area is navigating the worsening water crisis.
Resources
- With over 1.8 billion tourists expected to travel across borders by 2030, examine how transport-related emissions of tourism are expected to rise.
- Find bulk data of tourism statistics from UN Tourism.
- Explore the latest insights of US travel, including both international and domestic trends, via the US. Travel Insights Dashboard.
- Dive into the latest Tourism and Climate Change Stocktake report.
Experts
- Erin Seekamp, Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative Director, North Carolina State University
- Jackie Dawson, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
Before We Go…
The next Locally Sourced will highlight violence. Have you reported on how rising temperatures and more frequent and extreme weather events lead to escalating threats of violence or an increase in violence in your region? Send them to us at local[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. We’d love to consider them for the next edition of Locally Sourced and our media trainings and social platforms.
Want more story ideas? Check out the Locally Sourced archive for more topics to explore, including AI data centers, coastal flooding, air transportation, and more.
Know someone who might be interested in this newsletter? Forward Locally Sourced to a colleague!