Linking Culture and the Environment

R.N. Moisey and S.F. McCool 291
natural heritage. Consensus on these goals among these players is a necessary,
though not sufficient condition, for implementing appropriate actions.
Several new and related issues confront the tourism industry as we move
into the 21st century. The undeniable effects of global warming will have
devastating impacts not only on coastal tourism destinations, but will
severely affect tourism destinations that rely upon current climate conditions
as the defining characteristic of their tourism product (e.g. ski areas, waterbased
recreation, etc.). While much of the debate on global warming is centered
on causation, it will be in the interest of the tourism industry to focus
on mitigating the impacts of a changing global climate and how that manifests
locally. But perhaps of greater importance, the tourism industry will
need to assess its role and responsibility within this debate.
The ever-increasing carbon footprint of the transportation, food service
and accommodation sectors that provide the goods and services to tourists
across the globe is rapidly becoming a key issue for tourism destinations
geographically distant from their key markets. The cost to these destinations
in terms of carbon credits will have to be weighed relative to other competing
economic opportunities. This process will be carried out within the marketplace
and will have profound consequences for both small- and large-scale
tourism destinations. It is therefore critical for a sustainable tourism industry
to develop and aggressively apply more sustainable designs and technologies
within existing and future tourism facilities. But more importantly, the
industry needs to fundamentally reevaluate if it can continue to ignore the
role it plays in contributing to global CO 2 emissions. How the tourism industry
responds to this challenge will be the key defining event that demonstrates
their commitment to a more sustainable world.
While the chapters in this text pose many more questions than they
answer, this is beneficial in the furtherance of the discussion of what sustainability
is, how tourism can help to achieve sustainability, and what some of
the pathways and pitfalls are that lead to sustainability. We are hopeful that
we can both navigate the journey and arrive safely.