Just a few days ago we visited Cockpit Country, a region of Jamaica located
more towards the west side of the Island. We left Durga’s Den at 6:46 a.m.,
while the LEAP students stayed at the farm, learning things about permaculture, agroforestry, and natural building. We arrived in the Alps community of the
Cockpit Country and were greeted by Nikisha Reed, Dr. Garraway and Dr. Murphy
from the University of the West Indies, and local community members from that
area. The day began with a presentation by a member of Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency. The presentation covered information regarding the
landscape of Cockpit Country, possible impacts of climate change to the area,
current farming practices and threats to that environment, and what the agency
is working on.
We then were
lead into a more remote setting where we began a hike around primarily
untouched forests. Our guides stopped frequently to point out various medicinal
plants, which were plenty, and many endemic species. Some of these species were
not endemic solely to Jamaica but to the Cockpit Country alone. It was amazing
to think that we were seeing species that exist only to that tiny part
of the world. It is another factor which makes me realize how special Jamaica
is.
This guided hike
was an example of eco-tourism, which is an alternative to traditional tourism
which tends to cause harm, rather than benefit, the country in which it is
occurring. Eco-tourism is a way to expose people to a new landscape/ country in
a sustainable manner. People can experience the area and benefit from it and
at the same time gain an appreciation for the well-being and preservation of
that place, its bioregional uniqueness, and how people can fit into it more harmoniously. It was good to be exposed to eco-tourism, to know that more sustainable
responsible tourism is in the works.
~Gabrielle Reese
* * *
Gabrielle brings up something that to think about more carefully. Eco-tourism is pretty hot right now. It is being termed "sustainable" because of its attempt to fit people's desire for travel into ecosystems without destroying them. But there are some complications. I'll only say a quick word about one of the issues.
Earlier this summer we listened to an interview with James Garvey on on the ethics of climate change. There are arguments against tourism as we know it because of climate change. Jet set people contribute a considerable amount of CO2 to the atmosphere, thereby escalating and exacerbating climate change.
Using the TerraPass carbon calculator, our five intrepid visitors to Jamaica will have generated over 8,000 pounds of CO2 to travel by jet from Philadelphia to Montego Bay and back. That's roughly 1/5 of a typical American's total annual carbon footprint, about 2/5 of a typical Brit's, about equal to a typical Chinese citizen, and 4 times an Indian's. [Look at the U.N.'s 2007 CO2 footprint per capita by nation here.] We know our carbon intensive economy causes climate change with high degrees of certainty.
Can we call eco-tourism "sustainable" we commandeer our way through the air from the jet cockpit sustainable? Is it "greenwashing?" Will most of us have to abandon long-haul jet flights?
Brings to mind Outside magazine. I once subscribed because I love to be outside. The magazine though is all about expensive exotic destinations that seemed to me to be directed at rich yuppies. I have said before that jet travel will diminish in a sustainable future. Partly that's because I don't like jet travel today. I think living sustainably will bring us back to appreciate our locale more, and to find joy and fulfillment locally. I did not travel far until graduating PSU, and when Thoreau was criticized for not traveling far, he said "what do you mean? I've been to Lexington and Concord." It boils down to a culture that nurtures greed and being rich, and doing things that rich people do. It's a game you can't win, and in the process the more-than-human world loses. Settle down. Take it easy. Hug trees and people. It's pretty simple yet so much more than rocket science.
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