Climate Change and Tourism

CLIMATE CHANGE AND TOURISM

Word Count:

2667

Submitting Date: 2011-10-18

Travel and Tourism Industry Management TT302

2011

Introduction

When it comes to the issue of environment, there is no doubt that all of us should

confess the impact of climate change on human life. Nowadays, it tends to turn

into one of the most significant events facing mankind. (Boniface et al., 2005) In

terms of tourism, because of climate change, the seasonal tourism demand will

experience a great change by deteriorating, creating or improving climatic

situations at destinations and in source markets (WTO, 2008).

1. Climate Change

Different scientists may have different explanations for climate change, but there

is a common consensus that climate change includes the changes in wind,

humidity, temperature and precipitation for one area. It shows the average state of

the ambience over timescales varying from just one decade to as long as billions

of years (Gore, 2006).

“Climate change effects are generally taken to involve a combination of

global warming and the thinning of the ozone layer.”(Boniface et al.,

2005 p.41).

Global Warming

There are many factors leading to global warming, but the burning of fossil fuels

is one of the main causes of bringing about the greenhouse effect which prevent

heat escaping from the earth. The average temperatures worldwide have increased

by 0.5℃ since the beginning of last century (Boniface et al., 2005). According to

the scientific research of global warming from Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC): the global average temperatures will be likely to rise by

between 1℃ and 2℃ in 2030.

McGuire states that one of the direct effects of global warming is the rise of sea

level. It is predicted that in 2030, global sea-levels might be 72 mm higher;

however, it could reach 25cm higher with the accelerated melting of the West

Antarctic ice sheets and the Greenland. Every 1-mm rise in sea-level will bring...