Global Environmental Issues

Protecting the environment is now one of the most talked-about and hotly-debated topics across the globe. Many companies are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to create products or make their products environmentally friendly. An example is the electric car that is being looked at as a viable option to that of the present gasoline powered car. In 2009 world leaders met in Copenhagen to discuss ways in which they can prevent global warming and reduce on the effects of climate change, in effect protecting the environment. The travel industry too has not been left out of this issue. In an industry where the number of people engaged in international travel has been predicted to reach the billion mark in 2010, there is concern about its contribution to the damage done to the environment. Also like every other industry the travel industry needs to be concerned about ways of doing business that are environmentally friendly. Outlined below are some of the environmental issues affecting the travel industry which stakeholders need to address and in some cases seek out long term solutions.

1. Aviation which ferries hundreds of thousands of tourists across the globe is of great concern to those seeking to protect the environment. A major concern for the industry is greenhouse gas emissions and their implication for climate change. Aviation produces at least two percent of emissions. One way the aviation industry is working on this problem is by rolling out newer planes that have fuel efficient engines which means less carbon emissions. However not all airlines especially in the poorer countries can afford buying new aircraft.

2. Mass tourism. With the cost of travel becoming cheaper and more and more people venturing further away from their countries to places that were previously inaccessible but can now be reached because of air transport, areas of environmental and historical significance are becoming crowded. This is putting pressure on ecosystems within these areas and threatening the flora and fauna. Also climate change is going to mean that certain places will not favour visitors because of weather conditions becoming extreme which will lead to overcrowding in other places with more favourable weather conditions. Again this presents a danger to the ecosystems in the overcrowded areas and to the tourism of the area.

3. Deforestation. In spite of the worldwide call to protect the environment there are still areas where massive logging is taking place. This is also contributing to destruction of flora and fauna and is a threat to the tourism in those areas.

4. With the call to go green affecting all industries across the globe the tourism industry has not been left out. There is pressure on those who are in the industry to find methods of doing business that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. For example can the hotel industry build hotels that are more environmentally friendly? What methods can they use to conserve energy and reduce on chemicals that are used in the dry cleaning of tons of laundry used in the industry?

5. Human encroachment. With populations continuing to grow worldwide there is now competition between man and animals for space. Humans are now encroaching on areas like National Parks that are protected and marked for wildlife. This has led to reports of people and their livestock being killed by wild animals which in turn leads to people hunting and killing these animals that are considered to be a threat. This is a threat to the tourism of the area. Human encroachment is also forcing animals to move away from their habitat to other areas where they cannot survive leading to the extinction of certain species.

The environmental problems that we are currently facing are all man-made; we may not be aware of it but it is a fact that we have ignored because we are too busy with our daily routine that sometimes our lack of awareness have affected the environment. First among the environmental problems that we have to consider is the global warming. This is caused by the green house gases that are emitted by our cars, factories and chemicals that trap the heat from the sun making our surroundings hotter. We should be aware that global warming is also one of the reasons why we have cyclones and tropical storms that are stronger than what we have previously experienced. Global warming is also gradually increasing the sea level by melting the ice caps. People who are not aware of this will not be alarmed but we can already feel the consequence of this Phenomenon.

Second is the ozone layer degradation, chemicals that are present in various household or cosmetic products such as spray net for hair grooming have contributed to the degradation of the ozone layer; exposing us to direct heat of the sun in a level higher than we experienced.

Third is deforestation, the development of nations and cities requires land and constant conversion of real estate. Although efforts are being taken to improve on this condition like the establishment of forest reserves, the rate of recovery from deforestation is slower than the ongoing occurrence of deforestation.

Fourth among the environmental problems that we have to consider is species extinction. Our constant development requires that particular areas where there are rare animals with a short survival rate have to be suited with our requirement to expand and develop and most of the times we ignore the importance of these rare species.

Fifth among the environmental problems that we have to consider is water degradation. The more forest we lose the faster rate we will experience water degradation. Someday water will be more expensive than petrol. We should remember that water is one of our life support, we used to drink water for free. But now if you will notice, bottled water is becoming a necessity and the cost is gradually increasing.

Sixth among the environmental problems that we have to consider is global poisoning, factories do not just emit gasses that warm mother earth they also produce solid and liquid wastes or toxins as part of their operational processes and a lot of these factories do not have monitoring or environmental precautionary measures.

Seventh among the environmental problems that we have to consider is human and cultural degradation, indigenous people or natives to certain places are maintaining their culture and are reminding us of our origins and our ways are being invaded by our modern culture. The reason why we have so much disaster in our environment is that we have forgotten the essence of our existence. The environmental problems that we are facing are actually interconnected and only we can do something about it, because we were the ones who created it in the first place.