Guest
Extreme weather is affecting the whole world - and climate change certainly doesn’t stop at popular vacation destinations. Where is tourism accelerating climate change? And where could tourism provide an opportunity? Until the flood disaster in 2021, the Ahr Valley was seen as a dream destination for wellness and wine tourists. Today, the devastation in the Ahr Valley is symbolic of the extreme weather events that could be hitting Germany more frequently due to climate change. How can the Ahr Valley attract visitors again after its infrastructure and gastronomy were swept away? A catastrophe like the flood in 2021 cannot be allowed to recur. Reconstruction of the region aims to make the Ahr Valley a model region for low-impact, sustainable tourism. In Mallorca, it may already be too late for sustainable tourism. Recent decades have seen the island overrun by mass tourism. The consequences are especially visible in the wake of climate change: extreme drought and water shortages are putting a strain on the Balearic island, where resources are already scarce. Tourism accounts for over a quarter of total water consumption. Barely any other place on earth has seen the consequences of climate change as clearly as Greenland. Yet some of the island’s inhabitants also see opportunities in global warming: melting glaciers are clearing the way for the mining of rare earths and other valuable raw materials. The problem is that mining harms the environment and the people. Can tourism offer a more climate-friendly alternative to boost the economy?
