A better environment for better global tourism

It is everyone’s responsibility to make this world a much better place. This will also facilitate global tourism which plays a key role in the global economy and many individuals’ happiness.

Global tourism question: can we clean up the ocean?

While the ultimate goal is to stop plastics from entering the water in the first place, clean-up projects play an important role. It is a trend now and happening in Hilo, on Hawaii’s Big Island, in the US, in Australia and in many other countries around the world.

The Ocean Clean-up project has had its fair share of problems since it started in May 2017 and has been criticized by marine scientists and environmental groups for its potential negative environmental impact. However, some still herald The Ocean Clean-up for having a positive effect on plastic pollution.

Boyan Slat, the inventor behind The Ocean Clean-up, has helped with increasing the global awareness of the ocean plastics issue over the past six years. However, according to marine biologist Dr Jennifer Lavers from the from the from the University of Tasmania, “The Ocean Clean-up project gives people a false sense of hope that this team of people have got plastic pollution covered, and that we just need to throw some money at the problem.”

Plastic pollution is a devastating problem for the world’s oceans and marine life. According to the UN, about 8m tonnes of plastic waste is dumped in the seas annually. It has been discovered at the deepest point of ocean, in Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. Also, in Australia, CSIRO scientists found micro-plastics in the sediment of the Great Australian Bight. Last year Guardian Australia reported that scientists now believe “plastic is literally everywhere.”

So, the idea of attempting to “clean up” the ocean is a questionable one. Can these projects really make a difference? The answer is yes, but not as expected. Smaller technical solutions can make an impact in a localized area. Two rubbish-sucking Seabins were recently installed in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. The devices suck in water, trapping rubbish in a mesh bag, and recirculate the water back into the environment. There are 450 Seabins in 26 countries around the world, in 60 harbours throughout the US, Europe, and now the Asia-Pacific, collecting on average around 4kg of marine litter a day or about 1.4 tonnes a year. These are good examples of small-scale clean-ups that can have a local impact.

However, technology itself is not enough. What is needed is policy change and behavioural change. The European Union announced enormous bans on single use plastics and micro-plastics. That means much needed, meaningful change.

Educating the public is also important. One single plastic bottle removed from a beach prevents it from making its way back into the ocean. Taking responsibility is key.

Global tourism question: How can we deal with global warming?

You’ve heard climate change is going to cause rising sea levels and warmer temperatures, and you know that glaciers are melting, and storms are just going to get stronger and stronger. But these aren’t the only consequences. The earth will develop lots of exciting new features as it warms. Some you’ll love, others will be less…pleasant. Here are a few of the terrestrial surprises coming your way:

Firstly, there will be fewer invasive ants. Warming temperatures have expanded climatic ranges for many invasive and disease-ridden insects, from mountain pine beetles in the West to dengue- and malaria-carrying mosquitos in Europe and North America.

It’s not all bad news though because climate change might limit other invaders. The brown ant, one of the world’s most invasive species, and one that has traditionally dominated any ecosystem it enters, may be stopped in its tiny tracks—or at least slowed down. A study of climate projections over the next six decades found that almost 20 percent of the ants’ climatic range will be lost as temperatures change. This might bring some relief to species that have suffered in the ants’ wake, like the Red-tailed Tropicbirds or Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, whose nestlings frequently fall prey to the fearsome Formicidae.

And then there are desert bacteria. Millions of types of bacteria thrive under the desert sand, helping prevent erosion by forming thick, sturdy layers called bio-crusts. Bio-crusts can ease dust storms and provide resources for desert plants.

But despite thriving in harsh desert conditions, bacteria in cold deserts may not be able to cope with heat brought on by global warming; others may take their place, and researchers aren’t sure what this will mean for the ecosystems. And because bacteria play a role in soil fertility, they also help to slow down desertification; the replacement of one type of bacteria by another could have serious repercussions for the spread of deserts around the world.