Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The importance of tourism
Aviation and tourism can be considered a tool for developing and improving quality
of life at a local level, promoting a more balanced form of national development.
Mass tourism requires mass transportation and, as a consequence, there is a need to
remember that cheap air travel results in environmental consequences. Sustainable
tourism could be a key positive contributor to sustainable development in the 21st
century. It could contribute to more than 10 per cent of the global gross domestic
product (GDP), capital exports and jobs. It could also lead to social evolution by
creating jobs, replacing declining industry and underpinning developments in emerg-
ing markets. Thus, the result of increasing the cost of air travel on emerging markets
must be considered. If managed in a sustainable manner, aviation can contribute con-
siderably to achieving sustainable development and can play a crucial role in the eco-
nomic and social development of developing countries.
It should be realized that while aviation is currently a problem, it could become
a part of the solution to sustainable development problems. The potential for envi-
ronmental issues to constrain future aviation growth poses a great challenge for avia-
tion stakeholders worldwide. One way forward is to use national evaluations of
aviation as the basis for an analysis of air transport's strengths, weaknesses, opportu-
nities and threats. The result may lead to suggestions for possible new policies, aimed
at solving several problems. These may include promotion of air transport's ability
to enhance regional accessibility, acceleration of the trend to use aircraft with reduced
field requirements, and research into the possibilities for novel technological solu-
tions to environmental and capacity problems. All of these are contemporary issues
facing aviation decision-makers worldwide.
According to the Commission on Sustainable Development's ninth session on
transport, 16-27 April 2001: 'in view of the different contributions to global envi-
ronmental degradation, States have common but differentiated responsibilities (agenda
item 5). Financial resources and mechanisms play a key role in the implementation
of Agenda 21 and decisions concerning transport issues should reflect the sustain-
ability balance' (UN, 2001). The commission notes in Decision 9/3, paragraph 8,
the need for a sustainable transport system, especially in developing countries where
accessibility and affordability are important for eradicating poverty. Article 11(b)
encourages international financial institutions to make transport for sustainable
development a priority.
Economic power via environmental regulation
How can countries from the developing world develop their own transport and avi-
ation systems while having severe financial constraints and, at the same time, being
required to meet environmental standards set by global institutions? Looking care-
fully at the involvement of economies-in-transition (EIT) countries in the European
Union (EU) enlargement process, one can see limited potential for improvement in
aviation-related infrastructure and fleet renewal processes. This is due to high Euro-
pean standards, which sometimes, in terms of the environment (particularly noise),
can be more stringent than International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regu-
lations.
