When we are talking about environmental protection, and Co2 reduction it would be blind to exclude the impact of tourism SH. The Mediterranean shores have a resident population of about 130 million which is more than tripled every summer. The United Nations projects that this figure will increase to 760 million by the year 2025 - in Spain, France, Italy and Greece there is hardly any undeveloped coastline left, and the Mediterranean is already the dirtiest sea in the World. The picture elsewhere is not better, particularly when it comes to city trips. In Notre Dame in Paris, 108 visitors enter every minute during opening hours, with, on average 35 buses waiting outside. Had it not been for the fire it may have crumbled anyway due to the long term effects of these fumes. The Amsterdam which I knew, and loved, in the 70s and 80s has, in the meantime, been invaded by around 19 million tourists per year (resident population 800,000), often turning parts of this city into no go areas which the emergency services cannot reach in an emergency. The city of Amsterdam does not profit from hords of British stag nights choosing the city and treating it like a toilet, nor do any of the locals who, in turn, feel compelled to leave the city as soon as the holidays arrive. In most cases any income from tourism does not actually arrive in the hands of local people. It is high time that people realized that their choice of holiday, and their manner of getting there, is also of importance to the environmental debate and cannot slip under the radar as it has up till now.
Sorry cologne, my last comment was rather off track of what you were saying, and the title of the thread. The world has huge problems about travel options and providing people the means to get around. To hear a sixteen year old tell us that her generation will not forgive us if we don't make an effort to get on top of the problems should at the very least make us consider if our journey is necessary. We can as individuals do our bit, but it needs governments in huge groupings to make a real difference. Hopefully electronic communication can reduce a lot of business trips.
Thomas Cook's dodgy financial state has been transparent for years. It is a company that has willingly taken on a large amount of debt. There is no legislation for bad management anywhere in the world, businesses borrow money, they just overreached and made bad decisions. They also suffered badly because of the terrorists attacks in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia etc. Notwithstanding hotel owners, suppliers and the general public had ample warning to the perilous state of this company. Unfortunately it was still taking bookings up until yesterday.
The young Swedish girl was right she should be back at school and not involved with this foolish publicity stunt. Her parents should be prosecuted for dereliction of their parental duties.
How funny! The example of blocking off the tunnel came straight from the comments section of the Daily Express.
Sometimes it takes a person of this age to remind us that our duty is to pass the World onto the next generation in a healthy state - she will be coping with the results of the mess we leave behind when we are all dead and gone. She is probably learning far more which is of use to her now than if she were stuck in a maths lesson. By the sound of her English her school time was not neglected - do you speak any foreign language half so well ?
Yes, Scottish. Somebody has created a circus around this poor girl, future appearance money and book royalties?
Somehow you have avoided the issue - do you deny that we have a duty to pass the World on in a healthy state to people of her age ?
I am afraid you are showing yourself up SH. You have told us in the past that your French is very poor, although your Spanish must be better from comments you made last week. As normal everything you talk about relates to money. This young girl is clearly stating what she feels, and for you to try and rubbish her is pretty demeaning on yourself.
I knew we had a duty to do as much as possible to reduce pollution well before this kid, just out of nappies, was paraded before us. It is an unnecessary stunt.
This girl is welcome to her views, it is unfair on her, and everybody else to create this circus act. I would rather listen to a proper debate amongst serious scientists.
Very poor post this.. Many many young people feel as she does and are an example to many of us with their honesty and concern for humanity... Let her and her generation be an example to us all...
So just what have you learnt? What do you believe that you as an individual and governments should be doing?
You should read my posts much better. I do not disagree with what she is saying I just find it abhorrent that a young child is manipulated in this manner. She should be back at home and in school, I hope she does not end up being really screwed up by these experiences.
Sometimes it takes a circus act to concentrate our minds on something. Do we really need to listen to debate between scientists to realize the logic that if you continue to pour poison into the atmosphere for long enough then something negative will happen. Is it logical to believe in an unlimited growth with only finite resources ? - as you appear to do, because all you ever talk about is money and growth rates. It is inevitable that at some stage the thoughts will have to move towards the creation of a post growth society. The idea that we can keep on consuming, and producing, at the same rate just with different technology is a fantasy - a kind of techno fix solution. A little bit like telling a sick chain smoker that he can carry on with his habit because a cure may be found in a few years time. More or less everything we do on this planet we are doing to excess and it doesn't need a mastermind to tell us that this is leading to disaster.
Don't get me wrong on this SH. There is a grain of truth in what you are saying (and only one !). At some stage she will have to come back down to Earth - after meeting the leading politicians of this World, she will have to go back to her studies and be a normal schoolgirl/student again. Will she be able to do that ? I don't know the answer to that - Malala did the same thing for a different cause and was able to go back and continue her previous life as schoolgirl, family member and then student but she was a powerfull enough personality to play this double life. Early prominence can be problematic.
