How will Global Climate Change Affect Canadian Tourism

http://canadiantourism.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-will-global-climate-change-affect.html

Last night, I was fortunate to attend a presentation by the three territories (Yukon, NWT and Nunavut) promoting tourism to the north (see Lookupnorth.ca) I have only visited the Yukon in the past, but the presentation reinforced my wish to visit the North (I really want to visit Nunavut) as soon as possible and perhaps launch a Spanish website to promote it to Hispanic markets. It also reminded me about Global Climate Change because while looking at the great images of the north that were presented (vast open spaces, Musk Ox, Caribou, pristine rivers, mountains and lakes, wonderful Inuit faces carving magical figurines) I thought to myself "my God, all of that could be gone in a few decades."

An article on the front page of the Globe and Mail published on Monday April 9, 2007 began with the following:
"By 2050, snowmobiling could be history in Eastern Canada, a quaint winter pastime from the days of yore. It will be just too warm to have reliable snow. People who like skiing in Banff on real snow better get on the slopes now and enjoy it while they can. The ski season could become truncated, perhaps by as much as 14 weeks a year at higher elevations." (Globe and Mail, April 9, p. A1)

Looking at this past ski season in the Rockies (and Whistler for that matter) one could be tempted to say "Naaah," but the people of Intrawest already know very well how unstable, wacky weather can affect their business as it happened last January when Blue Mountain in Ontario had to layoff hundreds of workers due to lack of cold and snow. The Globe's article based the previous statements on the recently released summary report by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the UN sponosored group of more than 1,000 scientists studying climate change. The report is alarming (but not alarmist) to say the least. 2050 is not that far off into the future. Some of us might still be alive then and certainly our children and their children will be (my daughter will be a relatively young woman then). While climate change has been part of the history of the world and certainly Canada's (as Prof H.V. Nelles wrote in A Little History of Canada: "The story of Canada begins with the melting of the ice") it is not change that is most concerning, but the pace and speed with which it's taking place.


The predictions are so dire that one might be tempted not to believe what activists like Al Gore or scientists groups like the IPCC are saying, but that would be a grave mistake. All evidence points to unstable weather at best and unbelievable climate and geographic changes at worst (with the consequent loss of lives).


The purpose of this posting is a call to action to the Canadian Tourism industry to get involved now. From grassroots (how has climate change affected your business so far?) to provincial and national associations, the industry should organize and begin working groups and committees to study how climate change is affecting and will affect Canadian Tourism by 2050 and whether there is something we can do to either prepare for the changes or to ameliorate the impact. You can download the entire summary report by the IPCC by visiting www.ipcc.ch


Comment, get involved, this is a matter that is not just about the future of Canadian Tourism, but also about the future of our children and our children's children.
hasta la vista,

Jaime