By Geoffrey Curtis
Demands for climate justice are just as relevant to travellers as they are to the tourism industry. Whether it’s the need to better prepare for climate disasters at destinations or the potential increase in levies that the industry will pass onto consumers, travellers are not shielded from the effects of climate change.
This will depend on what the government of a particular country is trying to do, for example, reducing CO2 emissions. Many large cities, such as London, are regulating the amount of traffic flowing into the city by applying a form of tax. Commuters who have found the cost of payment exorbitantly high will seek other alternative ways to get to and from work. This may be in the form of cycling, skateboarding or e-scooter, car sharing, or even locating to another place.
Climate activists sprawled across a crosswalk to bring notice of vehicles using fossil fuel did not sit well (excuse the pun) with drivers in London. So, angry members of the public took it into their own hands to remove the activists. Motorists demand they have rights. After all, they pay a road tax and complain they will be late to get to work. The argument from climate activists is we all have a right towards a healthier planet in which to live and breathe. Therefore, the need for swifter climate justice to stop fossil fuel pollution into the atmosphere has simply been not enough.
For those of you who love to cruise on an ocean-going vessel calling at various destinations, you may be aware of the extra cost of the travel ticket. Having no concern (after all, you are the customer paying for a good time), the little extra will be affordable. What happens to that ‘extra cost’? The tour operator sailing through a country will pay a calculated amount into a government offset account. This offset will be to compensate for the C02 ship emissions. While this may seem a fair exchange, that is to say, allowing a cruise ship to pay for atmospheric damage, the revenue collected will allow a government to reduce their carbon footprint by example through stricter ‘green contracts’ or improved clean technologies.
Unfortunately, it does not stop the cause of the polluting ship. Most of us have no idea what fuel ships use. There are notably but not exclusively three types of pollutants: heavy fuel oil, low sulphur fuel oil and diesel. In March earlier this year, the ‘International Marine Organisation’ an agency of the UN called for a reduction of emissions and the setting of standards. Activists say this should have been done years ago, and shipping owners, of course, will pass on costs to the customer, including any tourist using their vessel.
Climate change threatens all life on the planet, as well as the very destinations that tourism relies on. Your favourite vacation spots could be at risk, from lush tropical islands to snowy mountain peaks. As the planet warms, rising sea levels, extreme weather and rising temperatures are impacting ecosystems and communities worldwide. None more so as we have seen from the recent discussions emanating from the 53rd Pacific Islanders Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga this year who want climate justice.
Islander Governments are pursuing ‘Resilient Pasifiki,’ which is the ability to ‘bounce back’ in the adversity of Climate Change, which is currently affecting the lives of vulnerable Islander people. It seeks to achieve an equitable distribution of both the burdens of climate change and the efforts to mitigate it. In other words, the little ones are suffering at the expense of the biggest polluters.
The question is, what can we do about it? ‘We’ being as individuals and communities and ‘it’ being climate change as travellers or tourists. Your global footprint can be measured scientifically, socially and economically. It is up to us to make changes, whether to travel less afar, go to poorer countries that benefit from our dollar, reduce air travel or become more active regarding climate change. Arguably it means working at what the balance is and ensuring that you, me, and us stay on the right side of ‘it’.