Rethinking holidays to combat climate change

May 8, 2019 - EntSun -- Climate change is high on the agenda as we are faced with the prospect of the extinction of millions of species on Earth. Increasing numbers of people are earnestly heeding David Attenborough's warnings and asking themselves how they need to change their lifestyle to try to reduce their own damage to the world.

One of the pleasures of the developed world is travel and many of us are addicted to it. Cheap package tours opened up foreign holidays to thousands of ordinary people keen to soak up sunshine and culture during their holidays.  We are now faced with a dilemma, can we continue flying to exotic locations knowing that each time we do so, we are increasing greenhouse gases and harming the Earth?

We could be more selective in our method of travel. Flying is more efficient than driving or cruising in an ocean liner in terms of the number of people carried per gallon of fossil fuel.

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We could take holidays closer to home to minimise our personal effect on the environment.  The lure of sunshine is such that many are willing to pay to be taken to foreign destinations with guaranteed sunshine just to laze by a swimming pool and revel in the delights of an all-inclusive resort. But can this indulgence continue to be guilt free?

Perhaps we should explore holidays in our own countries and discover our own Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, historic cities and coastlines?  Spending our holiday money at home would help regenerate the local tourism industry and provide more ways of deriving pleasure.  The addition of hot tubs to self-catered holiday cottages has proven to be popular. Swimming pools are always much in demand. The development of better leisure facilities in our own home-grown holiday destinations could be the answer.