The Florida Keys, a popular destination for many tourists for its wonderful weather year-round, is taking steps to become a more sustainable and educational tourist spot. Many companies are making an effort to highlight the rich culture and history of the islands, as well as protecting the wildlife that thrives in the Keys. For example, the beautiful coral reefs are being focused on by companies that will educate curious tourists about how to be environmentally friendly as well as planting coral to restore lost reefs.

This article connects to environmental science because it brings attention to the ways the Florida Keys are becoming a sustainable and environmentally aware tourist destination. They are making attempts to create an educational experience for everyone who visits the islands. I visited a couple of years ago and I can confirm this. I went to a butterfly garden where you can learn how butterflies go through metamorphosis, as well as walk through a garden that replicates an ecosystem they thrive in. I also got to learn about turtles that suffer from positive buoyancy syndrome, which occurs when boats hit them in the shell. After they get struck, air can fill their shells, causing them to float to the surface, making it difficult to go underwater for food. However, researchers are finding ways to help them, such as putting weights on the bubbles to let them swim as normally as possible. For now, sea turtles are held in captivity so they can live healthily and safely before going out into the wild again.

Florida Keys, what’s driving the boom in new developments and attractions for winter 2024/25 in Key West, Islamorada, and beyond? Travel And Tour World. (2024, December 23). https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/florida-keys-whats-driving-the-boom-in-new-developments-and-attractions-for-winter-2024-25-in-key-west-islamorada-and-beyond/ 

After the awful Maui fires in 2023, many tourists were advised to stop traveling to Maui in order to let the locals and community recover from the devastation. As a very tourism-based economy, this halt to tourism was very harmful to the economy. As the year progressed and Maui was given its space, the tourist numbers significantly dropped from about 200,000 to 96,000. As Maui attempts to reattract the tourists, mostly from Southern California, hotel jobs are becoming more difficult to hire and maintain. Overall, the fires that plagued Maui ruined the tourism industry and to this day, they are still attempting to attract the tourists that benefitted the Maui economy before the fires.

This article relates to environmental science because it is about how natural disasters have affected Maui’s beautiful environment, known for its terrestrial and marine ecosystems. It is very sad to see how such a small accident from a powerline could have such an impact on the lives of locals, the success of businesses, and the health of the environment. I hope that Maui can soon recover from this tragedy and watch the wildlife regrow to its previous state again.

Yerton, S. (2024, August 9). Stewart Yerton. Honolulu Civil Beat. https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/08/tourism-is-still-way-down-on-maui-and-thats-causing-a-lot-of-problems/

Outer Banks, a strip of islands on the coast of South Carolina, is a major location for tourism. However, this tourism is harming not only the economy but also the ecosystems that should flourish there. Due to the immense amount of tourism, the majority of hotels are filled up constantly, as well as vacation home renters such as Airbnb or Vrbo. These renters cause the locals in the area to have difficulty finding affordable homes, making them leave the area entirely. This, in turn, causes small local businesses to become understaffed, and the entire community is in trouble. As many tourists spend time on beaches, these beaches slowly erode, causing houses to fall into the waters, and beaches to shrink. This also harms the wildlife living there, such as the wild horse herd that used to flourish along the coasts with almost 1,000 horses, is now down to only 100. Researchers and the locals are trying to find ways to make tourism, the economy, and the environment coexist in harmony, but for now, Outer Banks is struggling to work in unity.

This connects to environmental science because it highlights how the beaches are changing and wildlife is losing their habitats because of tourism. Not to mention the natural disasters that occur around the Outer Banks often are only getting worse as climate change becomes more severe. After reading this article, I hope to see the horse population heal and regrow, because I think you rarely hear about wild herds, and seeing that could bring more attention to Outer Banks. If the visitors and locals can find a way to coexist, it would benefit South Carolina’s economy.

Slowly but surely, the Outer Banks is changing the way it looks at tourism. TriplePundit. (20204, December 05). https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2024/destination-managment-outer-banks/814781

In Finger Lakes, New York, tourism is changing. As more attention is paid to the lakes, the small communities surrounding the area are becoming more eco-friendly in order to reduce emissions. Hotels are buying locally and reducing the waste they emit. When in need of materials, whether construction materials or clothing, the local businesses buy from nearby rather than out of the country or state to minimize emissions from transportation. Locals and visitors are encouraged to buy from the local shops, markets, and more, benefiting the community economy. As for preserving education and the environment, the community bands together and does projects to benefit the ecosystems around them. Artisans use traditional techniques to preserve the culture of their craft. Starting here, Finger Lakes is aiming to inspire other small towns like them to help reduce carbon emissions while also promoting tourism to help keep their town functioning.

While many articles highlight the negative effects of tourism on surrounding ecosystems, this article was like a breath of fresh air. It focused on the positives and the efforts towns are making to help save the environment. As I was reading this article, it honestly intrigued me, and I would love to visit these lakes one day. It seems very quiet and welcoming as they aim to reverse the effects of climate change and urbanization that many countries unfortunately promote.

Staff, N. (2024, August 22). The rise of eco-tourism in the Finger Lakes: Western New York’s push for Sustainable Travel. WNY News Now. https://wnynewsnow.com/2024/08/21/the-rise-of-eco-tourism-in-the-finger-lakes-western-new-yorks-push-for-sustainable-travel/ 

After finally recovering from the effects of Covid-19 on the tourism industry, Los Angeles, California was hit with awful wildfires that have displaced many people in the community. These terrible wildfires have decimated a place known for its sights and famous locations now. While many families are finding places to stay with friends and family, others have resorted to staying in hotels for the time being. The hotels, however, worry about the upcoming Grammy Awards, where many people fly in and stay at these hotels. While they have enough space to bring in more tourists, a common thought has spread through the people. They believe the hotels should prioritize providing refuge for the citizens before them, even when the hotels have plenty of room. Los Angeles and the surrounding areas continue to endure gruesome wildfires and events year after year, and this year has not stopped this cycle.

This article connects to environmental science and the chapter we are learning right now because it is about the effects of climate change and wildfires in the U.S. The fires in Los Angeles are devastating and hurtful to hear about. While you mostly hear the negative effects of the fires and see pictures of the destroyed neighborhoods, there are still glimmers of hope throughout the media. In this article, it was reassuring to see how people could find refuge in hotels and the videos we watched in class about the community coming together and helping each other out.

WXXI News | By Jasmin Singer. (2024, October 25). The Dark Side of eco-tourism; why people are still moving to climate-risk areas: Coming up on “environmental connections,” 10/25/24. WXXI News. https://www.wxxinews.org/local-news/2024-10-25/the-dark-side-of-eco-tourism-why-people-are-still-moving-to-climate-risk-areas-coming-up-on-environmental-connections-10-25-24 

Speirs, E. (2024, January 18). Eco Tourism Bali: Future-Proofing the Island – NOW! Bali. NOW! Bali. https://www.nowbali.co.id/eco-tourism-bali-future-proofing-the-island/ 

In Bali, Indonesia, Suzy Hutomo and Rahmi Fajar Harini are working together to make tourism in the beautiful island of Bali sustainable, healthy, and safe. The two activists have researched the amount of tourism flooding before and after COVID-19 as well as the immense amounts of restaurants, hotels, and resorts, covering Bali. These businesses are extracting and consuming many of the island’s natural resources, causing alarm to people who are concerned. Suzy and Rahmi have taken action and are finding solutions to save Bali’s lush ecosystem. Through talk shows and presentations, the two advocates spread awareness to businesses around the island and gave them opportunities to fix their mistakes and still gain business sustainably. Right now, they are setting up programs such as the Regenerative Bali Program which gathers people to replant coral, mangroves, and other native trees, and are continuing their advocacy for sustainable tourism in Bali.

I think that Suzy and Rahmi are doing the right thing by seeing an issue, creating solutions, and spreading awareness about tourism and its effects on the environment. It is directly related to environmental sciences because they are studying the impact that humans have on the island of Bali while also creating alternatives to working a sustainable business and lifestyle. If all businesses and resorts could think like that, without needing others to do the work for them, tourism would be a much more appreciative thing and everyone could enjoy vacations while continuing to be accountable and supportable.

Paddison, L., & Liakos, C. (2024, July 23). The Greek islands are grappling with a water crisis as tourist season kicks into gear. CNN; CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/23/climate/greek-islands-water-crisis-climate-intl/index.html 

Throughout the summer, many tourists visit the warm islands of Greece for their wonderful views, beaches, and history. However, that has a very negative impact on the islands and the people that live there. Due to climate change, tourists, lack of rainfall, and unusually hot winters, freshwater sources have begun to dry up. Farmers have been affected by this on many different islands throughout their lives and jobs. Authorities have had to rent desalinators and expensive (money and energy-wise) machines that filter seawater into freshwater. However, the islands can only continue using them for a short time. Debates on reducing tourism have aroused but for now, while what is still somewhat available, tourists are still pouring in.

This article is directly related to environmental science because it discusses how humans interact with given resources and how they change over time due to overuse. Tourism is great because it benefits the economy of many countries, but if it gets to the point where it harms the people living there and also the environment, it needs to be reduced. I believe that native people have priority over tourists and water, a very important necessity in life. If they require help, the government should help immediately. So in this case, if tourists are the problem, they limit tourists from coming in until the water supplies are back to standard.

The School of Global Studies, Thammasat University. (2024, July 16). Environmental Problems and Pollution – The School of Global Studies, Thammasat University. https://sgs.tu.ac.th/news/2024-survey-reveals-environmental-problems-and-pollution-as-the-top-concern-for-thais-and-74-claim-its-impacting-on-their-quality-of-life/

In Bangkok, a survey is asked every year about their top five concerns in the world, 30% of which stated that the environment is the highest concern, followed by inflation and other issues in society and the economy. This article then continues to highlight the fact that these people are concerned about the environment, but they are not physically doing anything to stop this issue such as buying plastic bags. Every couple of years the concern rises, but no one is doing anything about it. However, the article states that businesses such as Samsung, Toyota, and 7-Eleven are making efforts to help the environment.

This article highlights the need to focus on the environment and begin the effort to start fixing our mistakes. The use of surveys is a crucial way to understand what the citizens want and need to give a better life to everyone. This article makes me conscious of my choices whether it is packing food in a reusable container rather than a disposable plastic bag, as well as buying from stores that I know will give back to the environment.

Alexandrapopescu. (2024, April 8). Costa Rican community struggles to stop an airport ‘destroying our country.’ Mongabay Environmental News. https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/costa-rican-community-struggles-to-stop-an-airport-destroying-our-country/ 

Varga Ortiz lives in a small village in Costa Rica, where she cares for seven children. Unfortunately, their town and other surroundings will be demolished to build a huge airport to continue supporting the tourism economy. With no place to go, their family will be kicked out of their homes without consent along with many others. Not only will this ruin many people’s lives, but by putting an airport over all of this land, archaeologists will lose the opportunity to discover more artifacts and the treasured history of Costa Rica.

Although this article focuses on the history that will be covered and the lives that will be ruined, looking through an environmental lens opens the eye to many other issues that will arise with the construction of a new airport. The airport will demolish open and fertile land to produce crops and food for people along with jobs. Compared to a village, an airport will cause much more air pollution due to all of the vehicles constantly moving throughout the area. The creation of an airport will further disrupt nature and the habitats of many native species in Costa Rica leading to the depletion of many different animals. In my opinion, I believe that an extra airport is not necessary especially if it disrupts natural life and homes of native people. If there are already airports nearby, why make another? Costa Rica already gets enough tourists, so there isn’t an urgent need to get more.

Mao, G. (March 12, 2024). Tourism: A double-edged sword of economic prosperity and environmental impact. The Science Survey. https://thesciencesurvey.com/news/2024/03/12/tourism-a-double-edged-sword-of-economic-prosperity-and-environmental-impact/#

After the fires in Maui, tourism’s effects on the environment were brought into the spotlight. First, tourists have a tremendous impact on natural habitats, but with the wildfires that devastated natural life and the lack of time to heal, tourism has been highly pondered to save wildlife. Hawaii is known for its beautiful coral reefs and ocean life however with the constant interruptions made by tourists, these amazing attractions are destroyed due to chemical, plastic, and oil pollution from sunscreen, boats, and more. Not only are the waters being harmed, but the formations made by volcanoes are eroding due to tourists constantly walking the same path, destroying habitats at the same time. When tourism shut down during the pandemic, the revival of coral reefs and wildlife was widely noticed, and further questions about tourists formed.

This article is significantly tied to environmental science because it highlights the effects tourism has on the ecosystems around popular tourist destinations. As stated above, boats, sunscreen, and plastic are constantly polluting the waters in Hawaii, not to mention mere actions such as walking through important monuments of Hawaii’s history such as Diamond Head. In my opinion, tourism should be reduced or at least monitored in terms of its effects on the environment. For example, new and cleaner ways can be created to get to snorkeling spots and the reminder to leave no trace can be constantly reminded. As for chemicals in sunscreen, the invention of an eco-friendly sunscreen can be researched to benefit coral reefs and preserve their color and vibrance.