Climate change, tourism

Climate change, and more specifically its anthropogenic version, refers to the systematic change of climatic patterns and weather events due to humans’ interference with the Earth system, especially through substantial emissions of greenhouse gases (most notably carbon dioxide) and deforestation resulting in a loss of carbon sinks. The observed warming of the global climate system is “unequivocal.” The last 100 years (1906–2005) saw a warming of 0.74 °C on average, with the Northern Hemisphere warming faster than the Southern Hemisphere. As a result of thermal expansion of oceans, melting of permanent ice, and shrinking polar ice sheets, global sea levels have risen at an average rate of 1.8 mm per year since 1961 and 3.1 mm per year since 1993 (Pachauri and Reisinger 2007).

There is widespread observational evidence that changing climatic conditions have profound effects on natural and human-influenced environmental systems. Alpine areas, arid regions, coastal environments (including...