Systemic tensions in sustainable tourism: inflation, policy enforcement, and ecological limits under neoliberal growth
Original framing: “Your say: week beginning May 4” — The Conversation - Global
Research shows that tourism contributes 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with aviation alone accounting for 2.5%. Studies also highlight the rebound effect of 'sustainable' tourism policies, where efficiency gains are offset by increased demand, a phenomenon known as the 'Jevons paradox.' Meanwhile, degrowth economics demonstrates that reducing tourism’s ecological footprint requires systemic shifts in labor, mobility, and ownership, not just behavioral tweaks.
The debate over 'environmentally-conscious tourism' reveals a systemic contradiction: capitalism’s need for endless growth clashes with ecological limits, while policy responses (fines, consumer choice) individualize what is a structural crisis.
This tension is not new—it echoes colonial histories where land was commodified for leisure, and Indigenous communities were displaced in the name of 'progress.' Yet cross-cultural wisdom, from Māori *kaitiakitanga* to degrowth economics, offers pathways to reimagine tourism as a relational practice rather than an extractive industry. The trickster’s laughter reminds us that 'sustainability' is meaningless if it doesn’t dismantle the power structures that created the problem. True solutions require reversing austerity, centering Indigenous sovereignty, and redefining mobility as a public good—not a market transaction. The actors are clear: states must regulate, corporations must cede control, and communities must lead. The historical precedents exist; what’s missing is the political will to act.