No. 56 (September 2009)

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,

As people in the Pacific islands find sea levels rising and water reservoirs turning salty, and the Maldives government is planning land acquisitions to resettle up to 400,000 people, these are more than slight indications of a looming climate change.
The Lakhshadweep islands in India are another example: Those who have contributed the least to climate change will be affected the most. Though there is a political consensus that temperatures must not rise beyond two degrees Celsius, there are hardly any signs that similar amounts will be invested in climate change mitigation, adaptation, disaster preparedness and resettlement as have been made available to save banks and stabilise the eroding economy. It remains unclear if and when the tourism industry, which is part of the problem, will understand that "business as usual" is no solution.

As tourism has hardly played a role in climate reports and negotiations, tourism NGOs and allied networks have joined hands in demanding a more active commitment of the tourism industry and its international business associations.

We hope that you will find our coverage of the tourism and climate change nexus useful and look forward to your critical and constructive feedback.

Yours faithfully,

Heinz Fuchs                                             Christina Kamp