Climate Change & Tourism Policies of SIDS, LDCs and Vulnerable Economies

Tourism is more than just visiting places of interest on a map. For small island states and less-developed economies in regions like the Caribbean, it sustains the lives of vast numbers of people and offers hope of a way out of poverty for many more.

But tourism is also highly vulnerable to the risks of long-term changes in the climate. The industry relies on holiday destinations having good weather to draw visitors, and changes to this delicate environmental balance can disrupt whole ways of life. In some cases, it can threaten a country’s political and economic foundations.

At the same time, tourism contributes to climate change, accounting for about 5 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, in large part due to air travel.

It’s essential then that governments integrate tourism into their decisions on climate change policy and aim to achieve a delicate balance between economic benefit and environmental impact.

In 2011, the British government’s Commonwealth Secretariat invited INTASAVE to contribute to a high-level discussion and prepare an analytical report on climate change and tourism policies in small island states, least developed countries and vulnerable economies.

The report is both specific and wide-ranging in one. It examines the role international tourism plays in social and economic development of these communities and the extent to which factors like rising sea levels, warming ocean temperatures, soil changes and more frequent forest fires will threaten the infrastructure supporting the industry.

The study also suggests action that governments in these countries can take to head off potential losses and identifies the gaps in knowledge and skills that prevent them from taking those steps. Every country faces its own set of challenges but there are precedents that each can use to adapt to and minimise the impact of climate change. Communities must also work together to reduce competition for increasingly scarce resources like water if entire populations are to navigate a course through the changing climate.

Smaller, vulnerable economies can improve their prospects of survival by sharing knowledge, skills and resources on a regional basis. It’s the most cost-effective way of tackling the issue and one that Caribbean countries, particularly members of the Caribbean Community, are already embracing.

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For further information contact: admin@caribsave.org

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