A More Subtle Effect of Climate Change: Doomsday Tourism

By Renee Bell, Consultant: By now, everyone has heard of the major impacts of global warming. Ice caps are melting, polar bears are drowning, and forest fires are ablaze across the globe. What people don't consider as frequently, however, is the more subtle impacts of global warming that are only beginning to emerge.

I have a friend who is living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, whom I keep in frequent touch with via email. She recently wrote to me about a curious phenomenon happening there. Argentineans are traveling in unheard of numbers to visit the famous glaciers of Patagonia. The reason for this surge in tourism? You guessed it - global warming. The glaciers are melting at such a fast rate that nobody is sure how much longer they will last; people from across the country are making the trip to see them before it is too late. This phenomenon, cleverly coined as "Doomsday Tourism" in an article by Forbes (see here), is occuring across the globe from the Galapagos Islands to Antarctica. All of this raises the question - is it appropriate, or even ethical, to travel to these endangered places? Will the rise in tourism only compound the problem and make it worse or does this tourism help raise awareness for global warming in a positive way?

Would you travel to a threatened area? If you are like me and would answer yes, don't worry - you aren't a terrible person and you do have options.  Eco-tourism is the buzz-word of the moment and numerous travel agencies are committing to this rising trend. The idea behind eco-tourism is that that travel and sight-seeing should be sustainable and trips are designed to be as low impact as possible. Check out http://www.ecotourism.org/ to find a company that operates in your area. Tourism does not need to be the bad guy when approached in a sustainable manner and the beauty of the earth can be enjoyed guilt-free!