Eco-Tourism

As Lauren pointed out, travel in general is a contentious subject in our globalized world. We have developed such a complex way of life, a web that encompasses the entire globe, that a discussion about restricting access to distant locations seems a ludicrous step backward. International trade relies on air transportation to distribute food and goods in a web of cooperation and mutual dependence, which we have become increasingly accustomed and reliant upon. Eco-tourism relies on flying for people to not only enjoy the many wonders of the planet we live on, but to experience different cultures which in turn improves our understandings of other societies and improves global communication and peace initiatives.
While aviation has expanded such that we are able to establish such vast channels of communication and collaboration, the environmental harms associated with flying must be taken into account. For example the article in The Guardian passed along a warning that if the environmental harm caused by air transportation is not regulated, that emissions from global aviation could account for 15-20% of all CO2 produced in 2050. I personally cannot entirely wrap my head around this dilemma because I go back and forth arguing with myself. On the one hand, I think that certain aspects of globalization are incredibly important to the well being of the global population. I can’t imagine what the world would be like if we were to “downgrade” our traveling capacity by increasing the price of air travel. I think that a major danger would lie in the simultaneous existence of nuclear weaponry and a decrease in person-to-person contact across cultures. The dilemma lies here; is the significant decrease in negative environmental impact worth the collapse of the incredible global network we have established? I would have to agree again with Lauren and first suggest a focus on improved aviation technology. I think that international travel is much too important to extinguish due to inflated costs, and that emissions from other sources that have a better shot at substitutes should be tackled first.