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When Los Angeles attorney Sean Farrell plunged into the numbing ocean off the Antarctic Peninsula in 2007 (above), the view was just what he had hoped: a vast white wilderness. But every few days Farrell, who was on a chartered yacht, spied tourist boats in the distance. A spike in visitors to Antarctica— up 250 percent during the past decade to 46,000—has Farrell wondering if the great white continent wouldn’t be better off if he’d stayed home. “Everybody wants to see natural beauty,” he says. “But even the most conscientious traveler will have an impact.”
So far the tourist industry has policed itself. Guidelines forbid ships with more than 500 passengers from landing on the continent, and groups of more than a hundred from going ashore. But the more ships, the greater the risk to the environment. When the aging vessel Explorer sank in 2007, it created a mile-long oil slick. Newcomers to the route present problems as well. The latest cruise ships, some carrying more than a thousand tourists, aren’t strengthened to withstand possible collisions with sea ice.
Environmentalists are calling for laws to curb tourism growth. Through 2010, economic forces may be enough. Visitor numbers will likely flatten as spending slows. —Karen E. Lange
Photo: Peter McBride. Chart source: International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators
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Jul 14, 2009 5PM #
This reminds me of the day John Denver told the public "Don't come to Colorado", after he had sung about the glorious beauty. Rather hypocritical, don't you think.
There will always be the one person making excuses as to why they are there "having an impact" on that precious environment:the individual exploring, vacationing; the scientist taking "just a few specimens for study".
As humans born with an innate penchant for exploring and satisfying our curiosity, we will never stop having an impact on this world or any other world in this universe.
Jul 14, 2009 5PM #
No that is just copping out and not realising what we have as a race - there are better methods out there and there are people who ridicule free energy or technologies which work to reduce the amount of pollution we have, look at Tesla's work. Not only was he rediculed but he is the fasther of Alternating current, without him we'd not be this far yet we think we know all there is to know and that we have an innate penchant for satisfying our curiosity yet we dont research his work to its full extent...
mate we dont deserve to get off this planet, or at least people with that 'ho hum so we just carrying on doing what we know is wrong to do cuz we is human' excuse. gosh... please.
As for tourism... I'm not sure I want to say they are being the sole destructor of such beauty and wilderness - but seriously there are much better things to look at and yes them being there is changing the environment, maybe they should spend their cash touristing somewhere else .. OR someone should set up n eco fund where people can pay money to go but the trip is environmentally serving and also creates a project to research such things as Teslas inventions or other such technology which can save the earth? Business and ethics all in one package.
of course we'll just make another excuse up so we dont have to do it - everyone needs the $$$$$ but they just dont understand that the environment doesnt and never needed it. WE ARE THE PROBLEM. Not money and not tourists, its a collective blame and we should be mature enough to address this.
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