Climate change is a global issue that will affect each and everyone of us and dictate how we live our lives, work and operate our businesses into the future.
Climate change is the result of changes in our weather patterns due to an increase in the earth's average temperature. This is caused by increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases. These gases soak up heat from the sun but instead of the heat leaving the earth's atmosphere, some of it is trapped, making the earth warmer. The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency have more information on the technical aspects of climate change.
Tourism in Australia and particularly Western Australia, is expected to be deeply affected by Climate Change as travellers adjust their travel behaviour as a result of increased costs, fewer resources and a heightened consumer awareness of climate change issues. Like all other industry sectors, tourism needs to consider the impacts of climate change and look at ways it can reduce its carbon footprint.
Climate change is likely to impact on tourism operators in a number of ways. For example:
- increased temperatures can cause health impacts such as sun stroke as well as increased likelihood of bushfires
- reduced rainfall and increased temperatures can reduce water levels in natural waterways reducing access for water recreational activities as well as increasing the likelihood of water restrictions
- sea level rise and storm surges could damage coastal recreational infrastructure such as jetties as well as natural assets such as beaches
- more frequent extreme weather events (such as storm events) could cause access issues as well as reduce the number of days that businesses can operate.
The tourism sector needs to consider how it might be able to vary its businesses and business models in order to adapt to these changes.
This site provides an overview of climate change and the effects it will have on the tourism industry and, more importantly, where to go for more detailed information.
To find out more about climate change the CSIRO website has a wealth of very useful information. Links to other helpful websites can also be found on the tools and resources webpage.