Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
2007). Rising sea levels will gradually increase the risk of serious fl ooding
in the city of Mombasa and the surrounding coastal region which will
obviously impact negatively on beach tourism (McLeman and Smit 2004,
IPCC 2007).
Glaciers on Mt. Kenya are melting at an alarming rate and if this
continues, the fun of climbing this mountain may vanish forever (Fig. 8.2).
The quantities of ice have reduced signifi cantly on the mountain having
lost about 92% of the original ice in the past 100 years.
About a century ago, there were over 18 glaciers on the mountain which
stands at 5199 metres above sea level (RoK 2007, KWS 2011). But today
there are only 12 glaciers left and four of them are a pale shadow of what
they were 30 years ago, thanks to the effect of global warming and climate
change. There are about 1500 guides who earn a living by guiding tourists
on Mt. Kenya and whose livelihoods now hang on the balance. About
20,000 mountaineers attempt to conquer the various peaks of Mt. Kenya
every year (KWS
2011). Most of these tourists are disappointed because of
melting snow. A local Daily described the mood of tourists climbing Mt.
Kenya today aptly by stating, ''to a mountain climber, there is no joy when
one has not reached the highest point, Batian, which has to be accessed by
climbing through masses of
ice'' (Daily Nation 2009).
Global warming increases melting of permafrost and makes many
mountain areas vulnerable to landslides. The warming in mountain areas
also makes hiking and climbing more dangerous due to increasing rock
fall. Increasing risks of rock fall have been reported on Mt. Kenya (Mburu
2011). Global warming is a challenge for the tourism industry in mountain
areas. Over all, climate change is a threat for mountain tourism due to less
snow, less glaciers, and more extreme events (e.g., landslides).
Climate is a principal resource for tourism, as it codetermines the
suitability of locations for a wide range of tourist activities, is a principal
driver of global seasonality in tourism demand, and has an important
influence on operating costs, such as heating/cooling, snowmaking,
irrigation, food and water supply, and insurance costs (UNEP 2008). Thus,
changes in the length and quality of climate dependent tourism seasons (i.e.,
sun and sea or winter sports holidays) could have considerable implications
for competitive relationships between destinations and therefore the
profi tability of tourism enterprises. Studies indicate that a shift of attractive
climatic conditions for tourism towards higher latitudes and altitudes is
very likely (Fig. 8.3).
Due to climate change coastal areas in Kenya are likely to be much hotter
and therefore less appealing to tourists during the peak season in October-
March (Fig. 8.3). Bourdeau (2009) has observed that there could be a shift in
seasonal fl ow of tourists in Europe away from the sea in the summer months
towards cooler mountain areas and vice versa in winter. He attributes this
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