On climate change skepticism and denial in tourism

Abstract

The period leading to and immediately after the release of the IPCC's fifth series of climate change assessments saw substantial efforts by climate change denial interests to portray anthropogenic climate change (ACC) as either unproven theory or a negligible contribution to natural climate variability, including the relationship between tourism and climate change. This paper responds to those claims by stressing that the extent of scientific consensus suggests that human-induced warming of the climate system is unequivocal. Second, it responds in the context of tourism research and ACC, highlighting tourism's significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as climate change's potential impacts on tourism at different scales. The paper exposes the tactics used in ACC denial papers to question climate change science by referring to non-peer-reviewed literature, outlier studies, and misinterpretation of research, as well as potential links to think tanks and interest groups. The paper concludes that climate change science does need to improve its communication strategies but that the world-view of some individuals and interests likely precludes acceptance. The connection between ACC and sustainability illustrates the need for debate on adaptation and mitigation strategies, but that debate needs to be grounded in scientific principles not unsupported skepticism.

旅游中的气候变化的怀疑论和否认

在IPCC第五系列的气候变化评估以后的时期里，气候变化否认者的大量努力将人为气候变化(ACC)描绘成不平衡理论或者一个对自然气候变量的微不足道的贡献，包括旅游和气候变化之间的关系。该文章回应了那些声称强调科学共识的程度建议人类引起的气候系统变暖是明确的。第二，它回应了旅游研究和ACC的内容里，重点提到旅游对温室气体排放的重要贡献，和气候变化对旅游在不同尺度的潜在影响。文章解释ACC否认文章中对通过引用非审查文献，异常研究，误解的研究，和对智囊团和利益组的潜在联系来进行的气候变化科学提出疑问。文章总结了气候变化科学需要改进它的交流战略但是一些个体和兴趣的世界观经常被排除在外。ACC和可持续性之间的联系解释了适应和减缓战略的讨论的需要，但是讨论需要建立在科学主旨的基础上而不是没有支持的怀疑论上。关

Keywords:

• climate change denial
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• climate change consensus
• climate models
• climate change mitigation
• greenhouse gas emissions

键词:

• 气候变化怀疑
• 环境变化的政府内小组（IPCC）
• 气候变化共识
• 气候模型
• 气候变化减缓
• 温室气体排放

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the valuable comments of the anonymous referees as well as the support of the following with respect to a separate rejoinder to Shani and Arad: Carlo Aall, Bruno Abegg, Jorge Araña, Stewart Barr, Susanne Becken, Ralf Buckley, Peter Burns, Tim Coles, Jackie Dawson, Rouven Doran, Ghislain Dubois, David Timothy Duval, David Fennell, Alison Gill, Martin Gren, Werner Gronau, Jo Guiver, Debbie Hopkins, Edward H. Huijbens, Ko Koens, Machiel Lamers, Christopher Lemieux, Alan Lew, Patrick Long, Frans Melissen, Jeroen Nawijn, Sarah Nicholls, Jan-Henrik Nilsson, Robin Nunkoo, Alan Pomering, Arianne Reis, Dirk Reiser, Robert Richardson, Christian Rogerson, Jarkko Saarinen, Anna Dóra Sæþórsdóttir, Robert Steiger, Paul Upham, Sander van der Linden, Gustav Visser, Geoffrey Wall, David Weaver.

Notes

1. The period when human activities have, for the first time, had major impacts on the planet's ecosystems, including climates.

2. A Potemkin Village is a term used to describe a construction built to deceive. It is named after Prince Grigory Potemkin who supposedly erected fake villages along the Dnieper River in order to fool the entourage of Empress Catherine II of Russia during their visit to Crimea in 1787.

3. An op-ed is an opinion piece typically placed opposite the editorial page of a newspaper for maximum political effect.

4. Agnotology is the study of culturally induced ignorance or doubt, notably the publication of inaccurate/misleading scientific data.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

C.M. Hall

C. Michael Hall is a professor at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand and docent, University of Oulu, Finland. He also holds positions at Linneaus University, Sweden; the University of Eastern Finland; the University of Johannesberg, South Africa; and the University of Mauritius.

B. Amelung

Bas Amelung is an assistant professor at Wageningen University focusing on the impacts of global environmental change on tourism.

S. Cohen

Scott Cohen is a senior lecturer in tourism at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom.

E. Eijgelaar

Eke Eijgelaar is a researcher and lecturer at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, working on the environmental dimensions of tourism and on climate change.

S. Gössling

Stefan Gössling is a professor at the Department of Service Management, Lund University, Helsingborg, Sweden.

J. Higham

James Higham is a professor in the Department of Tourism, University of Otago, New Zealand and visiting professor of sustainable tourism at the Norwegian School of Hotel Management, University of Stavanger, Norway.

R. Leemans

Rik Leemans is a professor in environmental system analysis and earth system science at Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands.

P. Peeters

Paul Peeters is an associate professor at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands. He is responsible for the Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport of NHTV and specializes in the climatic impacts of tourism and transport.

Y. Ram

Dr Yael Ram is at lecturer in Ashkelon Academic College, Israel. One of the lead authors of the Israeli Ecosystems National Assessment, she works on psychological aspects of tourism and sustainability.

D. Scott

Daniel Scott holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Change and Tourism and is director of the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3) at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.