The Great American Outdoors Act: Conserving America’s National Parks
Donald Trump recently signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act, a historic bill that will provide dedicated funding to acquire and preserve the country’s 419 national parks, 193 million acres of forests, wildlife refuges, and more, in what the
Can COVID-19 Pave A Path Forward For More Sustainable Travel?
Editor's Note: This article about the social & environmental impact of travel was shared with us by Johny Mair, Cofounder of Ethic, a tech-driven asset manager that powers the creation of sustainable investment portfolios. It’s that time of year when long
Ubuntu In The Time of COVID-19
About two years ago, I was privileged to meet a wise African woman, whom, some might say, has just about seen it all. In her delivery to a packed audience of keen African minds at the event where she spoke,
Half of the World’s Sandy Beaches Could Disappear by 2100
A study has found that more than half of the world’s sandy beaches could disappear by the end of the century as a result of worsening erosion and sea level rise. Published in the journal, Nature Climate Change, the study shows that several
Soaring Cost of COVID for Communities and Conservation
"Global Guide to Ecotourism" was one of my published books when I was a young journalist in Japan. The premise now sounds obvious but in Japan at that time it was still a new concept. Tourism relies on its destination’s
Coronavirus Harms Economies Worldwide
The Coronavirus — Where It Stands This past Sunday, February 23rd, there were a total of 79,205 reported cases of the coronavirus. In deaths, there were 2,470 reported cases. Considering the 23,419 reported recoveries from the virus, the statistics for the
Don’t Overpay for Your Accomodation — An Interview With BYHOURS
Sustainable development of hotel and tourism industries plays a significant role in achieving the SDGs. A large number of island and Southern European countries (like the Maldives, the Seychelles, Montenegro, Croatia and others) strongly depend on income from travelers around
Guided Tours as Cross-cultural Inspiration to Sustainable Living
Guided tours are an integral part of visiting a new destination—especially so if the destination is a city. Many tourists use tours to see the main sights and get background information on the destination’s history and culture. The guided tour
How to Move Towards Fair Tourism
In 2015, 193 countries signed the AGENDA 2030, a compendium of 17 goals for sustainable development. The Agenda 2030 also mentions tourism explicitly within goals 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 14 (Life Below
Indigenous Peoples: Key Trends that Affect their Development
(Part Two) Part One of this article provided an explanation of who indigenous peoples are, why they are considered a special legal category, and what rights they have as outlined in international law. In this piece, I explore how colonization has affected
Slumming it and The Value of Tourism
Book Review: Slumming It: The Tourist Valorization of Urban Poverty by Fabian Frenzel, 232 pages, (distributed for Zed Books, 15 June 2016) The UN predicts that by 2050, one in three people will live in a slum, perhaps this is
Global Coral Reef Destruction – Can We Stop It?
Coral reefs, the most bio-diverse and productive ecosystems on the planet, are one of the most sensitive indicators of the ocean's health. Even though they occupy only 0.1% of the ocean, they are home to a quarter of marine species.