Changing climate in the ‘City of Gentle People’
TOURISM and climate change are closely interconnected, with the tourism industry both contributing to and being impacted by climate change.
Tourism is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), an estimated 11 percent of global GHG, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. These GHG are achieved primarily through transportation, accommodation and activities associated with travel.
Transportation is tourism’s main source of GHG. The United Nations’ World Tourism Organization reports that “by 2030 transport-related carbon dioxide emissions from tourism will grow 25 percent from 2016 levels.”
Compared with other forms of transportation such as cars, buses, ferries and trains, air travel emits substantial amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Tourism infrastructure, such as hotels, resorts and cruise ship, also have significant environmental footprints, including energy consumption, waste generation and habitat destruction.
Tourism contributes 10 percent of global gross domestic product and 7 percent of global exports, and accounts for one in every 10 jobs globally, according to the United Nations Environment Program. Among the largest and fastest-growing sectors in the world, tourism’s global GHG is predicted to double by 2050.
Climate change impact
Climate change poses various risks to the tourism industry, including extreme weather events, rising sea levels, changing precipitation patterns and ecosystem degradation. These changes can disrupt tourism activities, damage infrastructure, harm natural attractions and threaten the livelihoods of communities. For example, coastal destinations are vulnerable to rising sea levels and storm surges, while mountains face challenges due to rising temperatures.
One Saturday last February, upon the invitation of the Rotary Club of Dumaguete led by its president, Rudolf Daniel Parreño, and project convener Norreen Bautista, I presented and discussed the “Impacts of Climate Change to the Tourism Industry.”
Negros Oriental boasts abundant natural attractions, making tourism its top economic driver. In 2023, the Negros Oriental Provincial Tourism Board reported a total of 273,157 tourist arrivals, a 34-percent jump from a year ago. Dumaguete City, also known as the “City of Gentle People,” is the province’s capital.
On my flight to Dumaguete, I was seated beside a French woman who was making her first visit to the Philippines and had chosen the city as their final destination.
Extreme weather events, a quickonset event and rising sea levels, a slow-onset event, will have profound and multiple impacts on coastal tourism. These events threaten infrastructure, and erode and submerge beaches. They will also increase operational uncertainty.
The Philippines is the “most disaster-prone country” in the world and second on the list of countries that have the highest rates of “experience” and “worry” with severe weather, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace’s Safety Perception Index 2023 report. The province is no exception.
Negros Oriental was not spared by Super Typhoon “Odette” in December 2021. Towns were flooded, roofs and houses, and bridges collapsed, rivers left their beds and thousands of fallen trees blocked access to towns and villages. Electricity, water, the internet and telecommunications were all gone.
Ocean acidification will degrade and destroy coral reefs, and affect marine habitats and organisms. These climate-related events will threaten, not only the famous Apo Island, but more than 200 species of fish, approximately 200 coral species, more than 100 macroinvertebrates species and seven seagrass species in four marine reserves and adjacent fished areas.
Rising temperatures will affect biodiversity and lead to more forest fires. According to Global Forest Watch (GFW), in 2010, the province had 139 kilo hectares of natural forest, extending over 37 percent of its land area. A kilohectare is a unit of land equal to 1,000 hectares. In 2022, it lost 648 hectares of natural forest.
GFW reported that from 2001 to 2022, the province lost 81 hectares of tree cover from forest fires. In 2020, a forest fire of still unknown origin damaged the protected area of the Twin Lakes Natural Park in Sibulan, Negros Oriental. The year with the most tree cover loss due to fires was 2022 with 37 hectares lost.
Long-term sustainability
Tourism stakeholders, including governments, businesses and communities, must adapt to climate impacts to ensure long-term sustainability. This includes implementing measures such as investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, diversifying tourism offerings, promoting sustainable practices, and enhancing disaster preparedness and response mechanisms. Engaging local communities and Indigenous peoples in tourism planning and decision-making can help build resilience and ensure that tourism benefits are equitably distributed.
In addition to adaptation, the tourism industry must also contribute to global efforts to mitigate climate change by reducing its carbon footprint and transitioning to more sustainable practices. This includes promoting energy efficiency, utilizing renewable energy sources, implementing waste reduction and recycling programs, and encouraging sustainable transportation options such as public transit, cycling and eco-friendly vehicles.
The author is the executive director of the Young Environmental Forum and a nonresident fellow of Stratbase ADR Institute. He completed his climate change and development course at the University of East Anglia (United Kingdom) and an executive program on sustainability leadership at Yale University (USA). Email him at ludwig.federigan@gmail.com.