Travelling. One of the most common answers to, “what do you like doing best?”. And for good reason. Travelling allows us to leave our everyday lives behind for a few weeks, and go on an adventure. But with the amount of travelling we do now, promoting sustainable tourism is critical.
“To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” – Captain Kirk
Why is tourism unsustainable?
Did you know a single cruise liner produces as much pollution as 14,000 cars? Or that they are single-handedly responsible for 17% of worldwide nitrogen oxide emissions? 1 kg of nitrous oxide is equivalent to releasing 298 kg of CO2. And I trust most of you already know the devastating effects CO2 emissions are having on our planet.
We go to SeaWorld, thinking that it would be “cool” to sea an orca whale. What we don’t consider is that these intelligent mammals, should not be kept in what is, essentially, a glorified bathtub. We don’t consider that the creature has been taken away from its mother and shipped thousands of miles away. We don’t consider this animal capable of migrating 100 km in a day, will live out the rest of its days swimming in idle circles to the jarring adoration of humans.
It is no longer enough to say, “I didn’t know,”. Ignorance can no longer be an excuse to justify environmental degradation, not to mention animal cruelty. With fish stocks predicted to collapse in 2050, global extinction rates already 100 times above background rate, and acidification of the oceans up by 25.89% in the last 150 years, we simply can’t afford to.
How to be a sustainable tourist
There is still time to save what remains of our beautiful and delicate planet. There are 3 pillars of sustainable tourism:
A: Employing environmentally friendly practices (reduce, reuse, recycle)
Be part of the “slow travel” trend and take trains rather than planes. It will greatly reduce your carbon footprint and experience a deeper sense of place.
Stop using plastic. Opt for locally purified water in recyclable glass bottles and carrying tote bags in your luggage that you can use while shopping. It will cut back on plastic waste and reduce your carbon footprint by not enhancing the manufacturing emissions from the production of plastic bottles and bags.
B: Protecting cultural and natural heritage (restoring historic buildings or saving endangered species)
Whenever booking a tour outfitter ask: what are some of your tour company’s environmentally friendly practices? Can you give me an example of how your trips help to protect and support wildlife or cultural heritage? Do you employ local guides on your trips?
Never buy wildlife products!
C: Providing social and economic benefits for local communities (upholding the rights of indigenous peoples, supporting fair wages for employees, etc.)
Give to local people the right way and support initiative such as, Pack for Purpose. You can bring supplies to local communities on your holiday. The charity’s projects will make sure they are distributed fairly to those in need.
Support the local economy. Locally made crafts and souvenirs are not always cheaper, but purchasing them ensures your contribution to the economy will have a more direct and positive impact.
If you tell one other person why you didn’t take a cruise, why you won’t eat bluefin tuna, maybe they will tell another, and then they will tell five more. Every change starts with a whisper, a small idea that grows into a raging scream for change and justice. You can make all the difference by just whispering a single word.
Written by Sophie Z.