Environmental Management: Climate Change Effects on Australian Tourism

This essay explores the multifaceted impacts of climate change on the Australian tourism industry. It begins with an introduction highlighting the importance of tourism to the Australian economy and the threats posed by climate change, including extreme heatwaves, rising sea levels, and coral bleaching. The essay analyzes how climate change affects popular tourist destinations, such as beaches, the Great Barrier Reef, and national parks, potentially transforming them into ‘no-go zones’ during peak seasons. It discusses the role of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly Australia's high per capita contribution, and the observed declines in snow depth at ski resorts. The essay further examines the vulnerability of nature-based attractions to climate change and the influence of temperature and rainfall on tourism. It highlights the economic and political ramifications of climate change, including reduced GDP and the potential for decreased tourist spending, as well as the impacts on coral reef ecosystems. The conclusion emphasizes the urgent need for preventive measures to mitigate the negative effects of climate change and protect Australia’s natural beauty and ecological balance, referencing the role of human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, in accelerating climate change.

Running head: EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN AUSTRALIAN TOURISM
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN AUSTRALIAN TOURISM
Name of the Student
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Author Note

1EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN AUSTRALIAN TOURISM
Introduction
Tourism has many impacts in building the environment in Australia. One of the major
factors which follows the promotion and development of a tourism industry is the ability or
capability to provide scope or opportunities for employment and resource generation in major
areas, both directly and indirectly. Tourism industry in Australia is an important constituent
of the economy of Australia. Australia’s economy takes the advantage from tourism
powerfully, which helps to generate different kinds of job, invest and help to grow the
communities throughout Australia. Tourism industry has the promises to be one of the key
strengths of Australia and a sector which is geared up for growth of the Australian economy.
Climate Changes and their Impacts
Australia’s multi-billion-dollar industry is facing danger on daily basis from climate
changes. The most popular tourist destinations are in the danger line; as severe climate
change is posing a major threat to the country’s iconic natural wonders. According to the
environmental advocacy group Climate Council’s report, the top five natural tourist
attractions of Australia could be struck by extreme heatwaves, increase in the temperatures,
rise in the sea-levels, coastal flooding and destructive coral bleaching. The best five natural
tourist attractions include beaches, wild lives, the Great Barrier Reef, forest and national
parks are all in risk due to the changes in climate. Tourism is the country’s second-largest
export industry, which is valued at 40 billion AUD and engaging around 600,000 people. But
the popular and the most visited destinations are at risk, with the bigger cities near the coastal
areas are excepted to see much more repeated flooding in the future years. The “Red Centre”
regions of Australia could see the rise in temperature above 35 degrees Celsius for more than
100 days annually by 2030 (Wilson 2013). Some of the nation’s most popular destinations,
mainly the beaches could be transformed to ‘no-go zones’ during the peak seasons and

2EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN AUSTRALIAN TOURISM
holiday periods. The cities of Sydney and Melbourne even may have to face an extreme rise
in temperature, up to 50 degrees. The pollution is mainly created by the rise in the carbon
level, which impacts the change in the climate and will aggravate and advance across the
nation over the coming years. Also the heavy usage of coal-fired power and having a low
population, Australia is termed as one of the worst per capita greenhouse gas polluters in the
world. The additional heat from global warming will further diminish the tourist season and
will in turn transform some organizations unworkable. Australia faced the third-hottest year
in 2017, and have faced seven out of ten warmest years since 2005. Decline in the maximum
snow depth and decrease in the length of the season at Australian ski resorts have been
identified for over 25 years, which increased the want od artificial snow-making (Scot and
McBoyle. 2013). The industry of tourism in Australia is very much defenseless, particularly
due to the rely on nature-based attractions which are facing the impact of rise in sea levels
and increase in extreme weather events (Benckendorff and Zehrer 2013).
The climate of a place, mainly the temperature and rainfall are the prime
considerations to decide the places of interest which can be visited and at what time.
Variations in the time and quality of the climate-reliant tourism seasons in Australia, and also
the changes in the density and harshness of acute weather events like heatwaves and storms
have significant associations to decide the people whether to visit the places or not. Changes
in climate has already started to affect many characteristics of premium tourist destinations
like biodiversity, water security, the visual of landscapes, production of agricultures,
accessibility of beaches, and the incidence of and distribution of vector-borne diseases
(Higham, Reis and Cohen. 2016). These kind of changes are harmful for a nation like
Australia where the prime tourist attractions are hugely nature-based. Policies looking to
reduce greenhouse gas pollution from the tourism sector may have very important impacts on
the way the people travel, choices of transport and total distances travelled. Climate change

3EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN AUSTRALIAN TOURISM
also hampers the economic growth, both globally and nationally, and warns the political
stability of the nation. Reduction of GDP can also minimise the spending power of the
tourists. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has point out the region of
Australia and New Zealand as one of the five climate change exposed hotspots (Forsyth et al.
2014). The tourism of Australia is hampered mainly due to hotter summers, warmer winters,
dearth of water, loss of marine biodiversity, rise in sea level, development in disease eruption
and increase in acute weather changes. Places situated in north, such as Darwin, Kakadu
National Park, and most of Queensland, including the prime connecting points to the Great
Barrier Reef such as Cairns and Townsville, could be transformed into unfavourable places to
visit during most of the year, mainly in the summer months, which can be termed as the peak
season for international tourists. Brisbane and Gold Coast are also on the verge of suffering a
major decline in weather attractiveness in the time of high season. Southerly destinations, like
Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and the south coast may also have to face recession in the
summer, like the northern region. Coral reef ecosystems provide engagements and income to
indigenous communities from fishing, amusement and tourism, thus helping the living of 500
million people worldwide. The largest distinct living marine architecture on Earth, which
helps to perform a wide range of water-activities, is under numerous threats globally, like
deforestation and coastal improvement. Change in climate is arising as the extreme threat
(Dobson and Hooper 2015).
Conclusion
From the essay, it can be concluded that the climate is changing in a fast pace due to
the exercises performed by human, mainly due to flaming of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
The world has started to watch the bad impacts of the variation in the climate of the
environment as well as health, economy and communities. These will increase day by day,
and if no preventive measures are taken within time, the situations will turn worse. It is the

4EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN AUSTRALIAN TOURISM
duty of the people to save the natural beauty of then places out there, which helps to sustain
an ecological balance in the world.

5EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN AUSTRALIAN TOURISM
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