READERS FIND TRAVEL VITAL TO ECONOMIES
Re: “Summer travel is back. Earth can’t handle it.” July 11 commentary
Farhad Manjoo paints a rather somber picture about the effects of the global pollution caused by tourism. You can sense his strong feelings when he states that “Each summer, armadas of cruise ships would spew stinking streams of people and pollution into the world’s beloved port cities.” Really, “stinking streams of people?” He obviously hasn’t been to many cruise ports. Many are commercial ports with lots of container ships and are not that picturesque.
Tourism is a very important source of revenue for many nations, including the United States. For some, such as in the Caribbean, their entire economies are driven by tourism. The author laments that there are just too many people out and about, messing up the local attractions. Maybe so, but I’m pretty sure the people of these countries welcome the money.
If Manjoo is so concerned about global pollution, he might want to look at China, which at the moment is building hundreds of high polluting coal-fired power plants. There are many more areas that should be of concern for Manjoo. Tourism should be way down that list.
Larry Dorner, Aurora
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A quote from this self-righteous writer’s Sunday column: “Each summer, armadas of cruise ships would spew stinking streams of people and pollution into the world’s beloved port cities.” He may not realize it, but he is one of those “stinking people.” He is also, most assuredly, a polluter. Does he fly, does he drive a fossil-fuel burning vehicle? I don’t know. But I will bet he engages in some life activity that is polluting and “stinking.” Before he passes judgment on those of us that yearn to get out and finally experience the world, he needs to take a deep look into the mirror and pass judgment upon himself.
Steve Denham, Aurora
Manjoo points out tourism accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, tourism is growing fast, and ships and airplanes lack clean energy sources for propulsion.
Should foreign travel be banned? My answer is no! Foreign travel allows us to experience the beauty of the natural world and the diverse lifestyles and ingenuity of Earth’s inhabitants. We need to see what we may lose.
Global warming is caused mainly by increased CO2 emissions to the planet’s atmosphere from burning fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and petroleum in our power plants, automobiles, airplanes, homes, businesses, and industries.
The solution is simple; everyone must stop burning fossil fuels as soon as possible. We have the technology to generate electricity from solar, wind, and hydro. We also have the technology to use that electricity to power automobiles, trains and tractors, to heat and cool our buildings, to grow food, and — with more research -- to grow netzero carbon fuels for airplanes and ships.
Our common enemy is CO2 in our atmosphere, and the most direct and equitable way to fight it is for all countries to agree upon a significant tax on CO2 emissions and keep increasing the tax as needed. It will be costly, particularly for tourism, but it’s only money; we need a healthy planet Earth.
Dennis Jones, Lakewood