https://www.fodors.com/news/news/fodors-no-list-2023
"Maybe the world is trying to tell us to slow down. So far this year, we’ve
clocked 29 climate-related disasters that have each caused more than a billion
dollars worth of damage, from a catastrophic “monsoon on steroids” in Pakistan
to a pair of hurricanes that swept away bridges and homes in Puerto Rico and
Florida, and record heat waves and drought that killed thousands of people and
agricultural crops across Europe. The latter even exposed “hunger stones,”
rocks engraved to mark low water levels during historic droughts. A circa 1900
inscription on one in Děčín, along the Elbe River in the northern Czech
Republic, reads, “If you see me, then weep”—an ominous reminder that no pocket
of the planet has gone untouched by climate change.
For all the good it can do in bolstering local economies and connecting
cultures, tourism is a significant contributor to climate change. Three years
after the word “covid” entered our daily vocabulary, tourism numbers from April
to July 2022 exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Travel currently accounts for about
8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and is poised to increase by 2030. And
there are plenty of unquantified effects of overtourism: stress on supply
chains, destruction of wildlife habitat, and overcrowding. As climate change
intensifies, the damage may make popular destinations inhospitable to travelers
and cause their economies to plummet.
Anti-tourism movements and travel boycotts, especially to destinations accused
of human rights or environmental violations, might seem like easy solutions.
But they don’t usually have the desired effect. Simply choosing one destination
over another doesn’t tell those in power—municipal governments—why you’re
spending your dollars elsewhere. More than anyone else, blanket boycotts affect
the lowest-paid and most vulnerable workers, typically women, migrants, and
people of color.
For this year’s No List, we’re highlighting destinations to reconsider visiting
in 2023 in three main categories: natural attractions that could use a break in
order to heal and rejuvenate; cultural hotspots that are plagued with
overcrowding and resource depletion; and locations around the world immediately
and dramatically impacted by water crises."
Via Esther Schindler.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
