Hypoxic or so-called dead zones are areas of the ocean (and rarely in lakes or even rivers) which lack oxygen to provide normal marine life (Simon, n.d.). This condition is usually caused by a complex of reasons which includes chemical, biological, and physical aspects. I consider that the emergence of hypoxic zones mainly depends on the area and human activity there. For example, in agricultural areas, the major reason for hypoxic zones will be chemicals since the water is rich in nitrogen and phosphorous from agricultural runoff (Simon, n.d.). The growth of concentration of chemical nutrients in the water causes the active algae blooming which drains underwater oxygen thus conditioning the lack of oxygen (Simon, n.d.). However, other factors such as sewage, vehicular and industrial emissions and even natural factors have an impact on the development of hypoxic zones (Simon, n.d.).
It is considered that hypoxic zones can have natural roots. Nevertheless, their prevalence in the seas and oceans near the locations of big industrial or agricultural facilities proves the human impact (Simon, n.d.). As of 2008, there were over 400 hypoxic zones detected around the world (Simon, n.d.).
One of the biggest hypoxic zones in the US (area of 8,500 square miles) is in the Gulf of Mexico (Simon, n.d.). The Mississippi River runs into the Gulf filled with nutrients from farms. The condition of water in the area caused the decline of the shrimp industry. Moreover, lack of oxygen conditioned the reproductive problems for fish. Thus, a chemical reason caused biological one. However, hypoxic zones can be reversible in case the factors conditioning them are reduced or removed.
At present, biological invasions are a burden for marine ecosystems. These invasions are an extensive global change that is a threat to the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources (Simberloff et al., 2013, p.58). Invasion science which emerged at an intersection of ecologic studies, social sciences, resource management, and economics investigates biological invasions.
The influences of invasions by alien species are varied and hard to evaluate since their effect is often delayed. Different researchers define these impacts as good or bad (Simberloff et al., 2013). However, the impacts of marine invasive species are mainly detrimental. For example, the migration of rabbitfish (Siganus spp) reduced the habitat complexity and species richness. Moreover, it changed food webs in the area (Simberloff et al., 2013). Another example is the introduction of Nile perch (Lates niloticus) which led to the extinction of more than 150 native fish species, increase of algal blooms, and rapid growth of prawn populations (Simberloff et al., 2013). Sometimes the effect of biological invasion can touch ecosystems other than marine. Thus, an introduced predator such as Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) usurped terrestrial insects which made local char to migrate for food. In its turn, it caused the growth of algal biomass and decreased insect and spider populations (Simberloff et al., 2013).
Research by Preston, Henderson, and Johnson (2012) investigated the effects of alien fish predators and alien bullfrogs on marine communities. They revealed the facts that mosquitofish, for example, reduced the survival rate of tree-frog from 74% to 7% (Preston et al., 2012, p.1258). Also, alien fish species had an impact on nutrients and plankton. However, despite a substantial influence on the local species, invaders did not have a significant impact at one another.
References
Preston, D.L., Henderson, J.S., & Johnson, P. (2012). Community ecology of invasions: Direct and indirect effects of multiple invasive species on aquatic communities. Ecology, 93(6), p.1254-1261.
Simberloff, D., Martin, J.-L., Genovesi, P., Maris, V., Wardle, D.A., Aronson, J., & Vila, M. (2013). Impacts of biological invasions: Whats what and the way forward. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 28, 58-66.
Air cargo is not as common as the other available forms of freight but it reliance is on the rise. The environmental costs that are associated with air transport include its high emission rates. Even as an efficient form of transport, airfreight can have significant environmental costs. First, when airplanes land or takeoff, they do so with high rates of emission that pollute the surrounding air and contribute to global warming. Air cargo is also synonymous with noise pollution, which is more noticeable to individuals who live near airports. This cargo-movement method also contributes to congestion and land-utilization issues in the areas that neighbor airports. The environmental benefits of using air cargo include the fact that it is able to account for lower volumes of emission per tonnage. For example, moving a container through land takes longer than moving goods through air. Consequently, the intensity of emissions by air cargo is less than that of other forms of transport such as road and ship. Air transport is also restricted to certain environmental impacts and this makes it easy to counter its negative environmental impacts.
Direct, Indirect, or Cumulative Impacts
Some of the direct impact of air cargo include increasing rate of emissions such as nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide. When these gases build up in the atmosphere, they are become smog or they react to form ozone. Currently, aircraft emissions represent the fastest rising category among transport-related pollutions. Air transport is the only form of transport that emits greenhouse gases at high altitudes. These emissions are instrumental in creating imbalances in the atmosphere. At high altitudes, greenhouse emissions are more potent than when they are released in the ground level.
The indirect environmental impacts of air cargo include the fact that air transport has to be supported by other forms of transportation such as cabs, Lorries, and other vehicles that emit nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide (Redrigue & Comtois, 2009). Other indirect impacts of air transport include their usage of fossil fuels, which have taken a toll on the environment. It is also important to note that aircrafts require high levels of maintenance, and these operations have a high dependence on chemicals. Air transport has also made a general contribution to global warming. The rate of global warming has increased in an unprecedented manner over the last few decades. Consequently, air cargo has affected weather patterns and specifically contributed to severe weather. Other cumulative environmental impacts of air transport include its effects on the health of people and animals.
Externalities Associated with Air Transport
Air-delivered cargo is picked up at airports and these facilities are known to be major inconveniences to individuals who live or work close to them. One of the external factors that are associated with air cargo is the noise that accompanies airports, especially as planes land and take off. Another external issue involves the congestion that is often associated with airports. Airport routes are synonymous with congestions that take a toll on the environment by adding on noise, degradation, and increasing emissions (Denali, 2015). It is also common for airports to keep expanding as the demand for air cargo rises. This demand creates an unnecessary pressure on land and other natural resources. In terms of value, land and property that is located near airports is often of low value because it is associated with noise pollution.
References
Denali, D. (2015). 6200 M1 transportation [Video file]. Web.
Redrigue, J. P., & Comtois, C. (2009). The environmental impacts of transportation. in the geography of transport systems. New York, NY: Hofstra University, Department of Global Studies and Geography.
Soil erosion is a natural process through which water and wind caries soil slowly down the slope. Despite its steady nature, human activities can accelerate erosion, leading to massive changes in the landscape. When left unchecked, the above mechanism will result in substantial environmental harm. Consequently, this paper attempts to investigate how human activities can enhance the rate of soil erosion.
Deforestation
Deforestation refers to the indiscriminative act of cutting down trees without replacement. The activity destroys the plants roots in most situations, thereby exposing the topsoil to different erosion agents such as water and wind. Deforestation increases the areas soil erosion rate over a comparatively prolonged period (Katra, 2020). Therefore, the action should be avoided further to minimize the chances of degradation in the land.
Mining
Activities such as mining contribute significantly to soil erosion which is experienced in most parts of the globe. The soil is likely to be exposed during the process, thus making them readily available to agents for the operation of erosion (Borrelli et al., 2017). Vast amounts of soil are typically pushed by individuals as they continue to mine. Most businesses also leave derelict land which is highly vulnerable to soil erosion long after the mining is complete.
Agricultural Activities
Different farming practices, such as monoculture, have a long-lasting effect on soil erosion. Monoculture allows the soil to lose its structure, thus making it more vulnerable to degradation (Karamage et al., 2016). On the other hand, a direct cause of environmental degradation is the inability to provide cover crops during plantations. Lastly, the absence of crop rotation lowers the nutrient retention rate and increases the depletion rate in the area.
Conclusion
Based on the parable of the sower and the seeds in Matthew 13: 1-23, it is clear that soil plays an important part in human growth. It is through the soil that people are capable of cultivating variety of plants and animals. Therefore, activities such as deforestation, logging, and various harmful agricultural practices destroy not only the soil but also human potential. Farmers should, therefore, try to understand these behaviors and avoid them to reduce soil erosion. The establishment of vital initiatives would minimize land degradation and encourage environmental protection as a whole.
References
Borrelli, P., Robinson, D. A., Fleischer, L. R., Lugato, E., Ballabio, C., Alewell, C., & Panagos, P. (2017). An assessment of the global impact of 21st-century land-use change on soil erosion. Nature Communications, 8(1), 2013.
Karamage, F., Shao, H., Chen, X., Ndayisaba, F., Nahayo, L., Kayiranga, A.,& Zhang, C. (2016). Deforestation effects on soil erosion in the Lake Kivu Basin, D.R. Congo-Rwanda. Forests, 7(11), 281. Web.
Katra, I. (2020). Soil erosion by wind and dust emission in semi-arid soils due to agricultural activities. Agronomy, 10(1), 89. Web.
Attaining sustainability is the optimal way of humanitys long-term development. In fact, it may be the only one, as achieving a natural balance may eventually become a matter of survival for the humankind. To enable this outcome, the very nature of the relationship between people and their planet needs to change. More specifically, respect should become the central pillar of this relationship. This includes the respect of nature as something that had existed long before the dawn of humanity, as well as something that needs to stay for millennia ahead. Eventually, people will understand that the current one-sided approach, resulting in the planet resource exploitation, is arrogant, devoid of respect. In a sustainable future, this problem will cease to exist, allowing humanity to reach the balance.
Earths Biodiversity and Ecosystems
A sustainable future will have an effect on the planet in many ways, and the Earths biodiversity is one of them. At present, this parameter sees major hazards that are caused by the humanitys exploitation of nature. The concept of biodiversity refers to the presence of various complex ecosystems that have undergone their natural development. Today, they remain threatened by pollution and exhaustion of resources. In a sustainable future, the biodiversity goals described by Diaz et al. (2020) will be completed. The first step toward this outcome will be reversing the process, which currently sees a negative trends with the number of species declining year after year. While the reversion is now set at 2050, it is imperative to achieve positive results as early as possible.
Agricultural Production
Agriculture has been the cornerstone of human civilization since its dawn. Ever since people mastered the first primitive tools, agricultural products have sustained their entire existence. As centuries went by, these practices became more sophisticated along with the progress. Furthermore, the exponential growth of the Earths population led to the expansion of agricultural production. Forests and endemics are destroyed to free more land, so the soil fertility is attained through quantity rather than quality (Bilali & Allahyari, 2018). In a sustainable future, environmentally harmful activities will be reduced to a minimum, as agricultural production currently accounts for a major part of the carbon footprint. The soil fertility will be increased through natural, harmless inventions that will produce more food per square mile instead of providing more space at the expense of the nature.
Water Resource Management
The management of the Earths water resources is another topical concern of modern society. Freshwater is heavily utilized, gradually depleting the reserves of the planet. In pursuit of water resource efficiency, humanity changes the landscape, often causing ecological catastrophes. Furthermore, the very distribution of resources is out of balance, since certain regions of the Earth are left with little or no water (Tomislav, 2018). The development of sustainable water resource management practices will address all of these issues. One of the promising technologies consists of harvesting and utilizing the rain water, which currently goes to waste. This way, currently deprived communities will have better access to fresh water. Speaking of waste, the oceans of the Earth remain increasingly polluted by it, which is problematic. This issue is to be addressed along with the general waste management policies.
Energy Management
Humanity retains a strong need for energy, which is bound to be on a stable increase in the distant future, as well. Civilizations production and consumption needs are growing, which causes the aforementioned trend. As a result, the energy sector remains one of the largest suppliers of pollution and waste in a global sense. The pursuit of sustainability implies a revolution within the energy sector. In such a future, humanity will have deactivated all of its coal-based plants, as well as most nuclear ones. Renewable resources will form the core of the planets energy grid, including hydroelectricity, solar power, and wind power (Tomislav, 2018). These three types of energy sources will be distributed across the globe in accordance with the geographical properties of each area. This way, the production capacity will reach its peak, meeting the growing demand while alleviating the environmental effect.
Waste Management
Within the current discussions of sustainability, waste is considered to be one of the key issues faced by humanity. In fact, the treatment of waste is among the first aspects that need to change for a sustainable future to be possible. It exists in many forms that originate from industries and households, as well. The world of the 21st century is made of plastic, a material that takes hundreds of years to decompose. Therefore, in a sustainable future, the use of plastic will be reduced to an absolute minimum. The role of recycled materials in production will be enhanced, from daily use items to complex constructions (Pluskal et al., 2021). The sustainable society will reflect the value of reuse and recycling, as in the case of waste, prevention is infinitely better than the cure. Instead of optimizing the treatment of existing waste, humanity will have to reduce its amount in the first place.
Choices and Tradeoffs
Evidently, sustainable future will not even come on its own. It supposed to become the product of a global choice made by humanity by remaining loyal to the current sustainable development goals. Moreover, this pursuit will not be an easy journey, as it will require a series of consolidated decisions and compromises (Tomislav, 2018). Specifically, the most serious challenge faced by humanity in pursuit of sustainability lies in the societal domain. Global community will inevitably deal with the economic and technological impediments. However, the most important step is to reach a global consensus on the value and importance of sustainable practices. In other words, the key challenge is to convince the majority of eight billion people of the feasibility of sustainable development goals.
References
Diaz, S., Zafra-Calvo, N., Purvis, A., Verburg, P. H., Obura, D., Leadley, P., Chaplin-Kramer, R., De Meester, L., Dulloo, E., Martin-Lopez, B., Shaw, M. R., Visconti, P., Broadgate, W., Bruford, M. W., Burgess, N. D., Cavender-Barres, J., Declerk, F., Fernandez-Palacios, J. M., Garibaldi, L. A., & & Zanne, A. E. (2020). Set ambitious goals for biodiversity and sustainability.Science, 370(6615), 411413. Web.
Tomislav, K. (2018). The concept of sustainable development: From its beginning to the contemporary issues. Zagreb International Review of Economics & Business, 21(1), 67-94. Web.
Climatic changes in the world have led to environmental consciousness. Impact of environmental degradation is real as various observable impacts can be witnessed. As a result of environmental changes, a group of people who are concerned of environmental issues has come up. The main concern of this group, referring itself as green, is to ensure a sustainable world. Green revolution is observed in all parts of the economy. Concerning the environmental effect of fossil fuels, various developments such as bio fuels have emerged.
Greens revolution is a major concern in the hospitality industry. With increase in environment consciousness, some customers demand for environmentally friendly services and facilities. Hotel and tourism result to various environmental impacts. Some materials used in hotel industry have environmental impact while discharges may have negative effect to the environment. In tourism, some certain activities have negative effects on the environment.
Increase in environment conscious clients in hospitality industry leave investors in hospitality industry with no choice but consider environment issues that affect the industry. Green hotels and ecotourism are the image of green revolution in hospitality industry. The main concern for green hotel and ecotourism is to implement environment consciousness in all their services.
The hospitality industry is a major industry in France. In Europe, France has been a main player in hotel and tourism. Although there are other new tourist destinations, France continues to be one of the most preferred destinations not only in Europe but also in other parts of the world. As a major player in hospitality industry, impact of green revolution in hospitality industry is likely to have a major impact in France. This paper is a literature review on green development in hospitality industry. The paper will review literature on green revolution in various aspects of hospitality industry such as hotel and tourism.
The literature review will look into the motivation towards green revolution, short-term and long term impact of green revolution, customer demands and future trend of hospitality industry as a result of green revolution. Green revolution has been a subject of interest to many researchers and scholars in the recent past. The literature review will make use available materials, information and data to give insight into trend of green revolution in hospitality industry in France.
Literature Review
Global Environmental concerns
The world has experienced consistent environmental degradation. The environmental degradation result from unsustainable use of natural resource, release of environment pollutants in the environment and strain on natural resources due to consistent population growth. Goudie says that environmental changes occur gradually that the effects are only observed after a long time. Environmental changes in the world today are a result of low environment consciousness among the people. One of the main causes of environment degradation, according to Goudie, is usage of fossil fuel as the main source of fuel (Goudie, 1992, p.31).
Environmental degradation in the world has led to changes in various aspects of environment. Some of the most explicit changes in environment, according to Goudie, are changes in rainfalls, decrease in snow coverage and rise in temperatures. Goudie observes that increase in irregular weather patterns in the world and extreme weather conditions as some of the evidence of effects of environmental degradation (Goudie, 1992, p.31).
Extremely cold winters, warmer summers, storms and droughts in some countries is a clear evidence of environmental degradation. Environmental changes affect every aspect of life. The change in weather pattern demand that people should adjust to fit in environment. Goudie gives an example of effect of environmental changes to availability of food substances and eating habit. According to Goudie, increases of toxic substance in water bodies, environmental changes and overfishing has resulted to reduction of fish. The consistent environment degradation, according to Goudie is a threat to human existences. As a solution, he calls for increase in research on environmentally friendly practices and sustainable use of natural resources.
Global warming has been a major topic in the media. Silver defines global warming as increase in global temperatures. Global warming, according to Silver is the main cause of environmental changes that are evident in the world today (Silver, 2008, p. 76). Releases of greenhouse gases to the environment lead to increase in global temperatures. Continuous use of fossil fuel, according to Silver is a major threat to environment.
Carbon dioxide released from petroleum fuel raises the percentage of the Carbon Dioxide gas in the environment, leading to greenhouse effect. According to Larry west, carbon dioxide is an essential gas to environment but excess release of the gas becomes an environmental hazard (West, 2009, par 6). According to him, the negative effects of global warming occur when human activity increases the release of greenhouse gases beyond the level where nature can regulate. Some of the identified causes of global warming are burning of some type of fuels, industrialization, deforestation, and population growth.
The rate of increase of global temperatures is currently high. As the effects of global warming threat the existence of the world, there has been increase in environmental consciousness among the people. Global warming has severe effects on the environment. According to Goudie, global warming has both long term and short term effects. Some of the short-term effects observed were slight warming up of weather. On the other hand, the long-term effects were disappearance of snow, rise in sea level, increase in disease, drought, storms and other severe weather conditions. According to Larry West, it is the responsibility of everyone to play a role in preventing global warming (West, 2009, par 6).
Environmental campaigns have succeeded in motivating various innovations in environmentally friendly practices. Innovation in sustainable source of fuel, green buildings, and environmentally friendly policies, according to Silver, are good steps toward controlling global warming.
Environment Effects of Hospitality Industry
Like any other area of economy, hospitality industry has various effects to the environment. The impacts to environment result from the materials used in hotel, discharges and tourism activities. According to Kasim and Scarkat, hospitality industry ought to be responsible of the environmental impacts of their activities. They site the various chemical substances used in hospitality industry as some of the area where hospitality contribute to environmental degradation (Kasim & Scarkat, 2007, p. 75). As corporate responsibility to working environment, investors in hospitality industry ought to make efforts to ensure sustainable environment as well as prevent negative impact to the environment.
Impact of hospitality industry in global economy is large. Tourism is an important economic activity in various parts of the world. According to World Travel and tourism council, Tourism is a major economic activity to be ignored by any government. According to available data on tourism, in 2000 tourism industry contributed more than fifteen percentage of all employment in the world addition, tourism generated revenue worth more than two million US dollars (Kasim & Scarkat, 2007, p. 67).
Besides, according to world travel and Tourism, Tourism is in consistent growth. Faulkner warns that, as Tourism industry continues to grow; the effect of the Industry to environment will continue to increase (Faulkner & Laws, 2000, p.124). The trend of tourism growth indicates that the growth has shifted from well known tourism destination to other areas such as East Asian and Pacific regions. World Tourism Organization estimates that tourism industry will have an average growth of more than four percent. According to Kasim, with the consistent growth in tourism industry the environmental impact of tourism will be very huge.
Wide spread rapid growth of hospitality industry brings about questions on its pressure on natural resources and negative effects to the environment (Faulkner & Laws, 2000, p.98). Tourism, by nature relies more on environment for its sustainability. According to Hassan, destruction of environment can have very severe effect on tourism but at the same time tourism contribute significantly to environmental changes (Hassan, 2000, p. 34).
Hospitality industry offers services that interact highly with natural resources. According to Hassan, the high demand on natural resources that result from tourism industry calls for hospitality industry to be more responsible to the environment. Due to demand on natural resources, tourism activities can initiate various changes on physical environment. On the other hand, the hospitality industry also has various demands on natural resources and also releases substances that can lead to negative effects to the environment (Faulkner & Laws, 2000, p.98).
Wahab and Pigram give an example of where tourism motivates destruction on physical environment through its demand for secluded and scenic accommodation (Wahab & Pigram, 1997, p17). Tourism has high demand for transportation. As the tourist travel from one area to another, fossil fuel is used in one way or the other. According to Wahab, the high demand for transportation in tourism industry contributes significantly to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Tourism and holiday activities contribute significantly to the emission of greenhouse gasses. According to report from Commission on Sustainable Development forum held in 1998 in Germany, energy used up in tourism constitutes more than ninety percent of all energy used up in holiday. According to the forum, the energy is used up as tourists arrive for holiday destination and also in other travels related to tourism. Apart from pressure on natural resources, the emissions that result from transporting tourists constitute a big share of tourism effect to natural resources (Klak & Flynn, 2008, p 67). In particular, tourism contributes highly on air travels. Although new development in air travel has allowed aircrafts that consume less energy, the increase in air travels have contributed highly to greenhouse gases.
Tourism depends highly on environment. According to Scarkat and Kasim, the future of hospitality industry depends highly on the ability of investors in the industry to protect the resources that they require. This protection includes minimizing negative effects on environment that result from hospitality industry, investing on environmentally friendly initiatives and ability to ensure sustainability in all areas (Kasim & Scarkat, 2007, p. 81).
Environmental degradation is a threat to tourism industry in the future. According to Kasim, quality of tourism will be highly affected when environment is destroyed and lose its aesthetic quality. At the same time quality of services offered in hotels will be lowered when essential commodities are unavailable due to environmental degradation.
Mitigating effects of hospitality industry to environment is the sure way of ensuring continuity. Efforts to mitigate effects of hospitality industry to the environment have not been a priority (Payne & Raiborn, 2001, p. 126). According to McLaren, investors in hospitality industry had poor attitude towards mitigating environmental effects until late 1980s. According to Kasim and Scarkat, lack of initiative in mitigation efforts has been contributed by a perception that tourism and holiday industry do not require specific planning. They give an example where investors in the industry fail of invest some of revenue obtained in environment conservation programs.
Sustainability in Hospitality industry
Sustainability is a relatively new term. The term first emerged in 1970 as a reaction to diminishing natural resources. Sustainable development became fully entrenched into vocabulary as a result of World commission of Environment and Development (WCED). According to the commission, sustainable development entails a development that meets the needs of the people in present but as well takes into consideration of the future needs of the future generation. Sustainability ensures that that the resources are used responsibly so as the need of the present and future generations are met with considerable ease (Brundtland, 1987, p. 34).
Sustainability came about as a result of the realization that natural resources were declining in a high rate that could compromise the ability of both the present and future generations to meet their needs. According to Payne and Raiborn, sustainability takes three major aspects: social, economic and environmental (Payne & Raiborn, 2001, p. 143). Social sustainability is sustainability that ensures equitable achievement of social services such as health, political aspect and gender issues. Sustainable economy is an economy that ensures continuous production of products and services for the benefit of both the present and future generations. Sustainable environment, on the other hand entails an environment that ensures stability in natural resources.
Although major international bodies such as United Nations and World Bank have endorsed the concept of sustainable development, the meaning of the phrase is not very clear. The overuse of the term in different areas has led to the term losing its original meaning as conceived in 1970s. According to Daly, the term is overused in different areas that the term is in danger of losing its meaning (Daly, 1990. P.2).
There is danger that the people who use the term may fail to realize the meaning of the term and hence fail to achieve its intended meaning. As World Banks World Development Report 2003 observe, the definition of Sustainable Development given by Brundtland Commission lack clarity. Although the definition emphasizes the ability to meet both the present and future needs, it fails to offer a clear definition of what is meant by needs (Brundtland, 1987, p. 147). Although the definition of sustainable development may not be clear, the concept of sustainability is important.
Hospitality industry is a major economic activity in many countries. In 2008, the industry raises more than $950 billion revenue, one of the highest revenue from a single sector. Although the recent economic recession has a severe effect on tourism, tourism is expected to have an upward growth trend in the future (Tiller, 2009, par 4). Due to its economic potential, many countries invest highly on tourism with; aim of attracting high revenues.
According to Sharpley, the high demand of tourism on natural resource has led to considerable effect on environment. Tourism leads to high demand for accommodation, transport and sceneries, which have direct or indirect effects on environment (Sharpley, 2009, p. 15). Tourism leads to direct demand for tourism destination but as well contribute to other indirect activities such as construction of accommodations required by tourism.
In most cases tourism development is based on naturally existing attractions. Some of natural attractions that are popular to tourist and holiday makers include beaches, wilderness areas and heritage. According to Sharpley, the natural attractions are scarce and susceptible to overexploitation. Due to low start-up resources needed on natural attractions, there is high likelihood for the resources to be overexploited. The low start-up resources needed on tourism industry, according to Sharpley, has led to many governments opting to invest in the industry other than other industries (Sharpley, 2009, p. 17).
Investment in tourism calls for more resource to be invested in the area. According to Sharpley investment in tourism compete with investment in other areas such as farming. In addition, tourism competes for natural resources with other areas such as agriculture. Due to high returns from tourism, many government tend to give tourism a priority other economic activities.
Ecotourism
The effect of tourism on environment is a major concern for environmentalists, governments and investors within this sector. Ecotourism is used to refer to sustainable tourism. The term was developed in 1988 to refer to a practice in tourism that took into consideration of future needs of tourism. According to International Ecotourism Society, ecotourism is defined travel to natural area that show respect to natural resources and people that inhabit the natural area. According to Honey, the term developed as a concern for the effects to natural areas that resulted from tourism activities (Honey, 2008, par 6).
With realization of the effects that tourism had on environment and social cultural aspects of local people, ecotourism was viewed as an alternative that would reduce the effects and ensure sustainability. As an alternative to other forms of tourism that has negative effects to ecological and social aspects of tourism destination, ecotourism aim at not only reduce negative cultural and environment effects, but also contribute to conservation of tourism resource and contribute to development of communities that live in the areas (Honey, 2008, par.11).
Usage of the term ecotourism in tourism industry sometime lacks consistency. The inconsistency in use of the term can dilute the meaning of ecotourism and its significance in the industry. According to Sue Beeton, sometimes the term is used as an advertisement tool other than for its intended purpose. In this case some tourism companies use term to attract customers but fail to offer environmentally friendly services as implied by the term (Beeton, 1998, p.2).
Sue gives an example of where some tour operators in Costa Rica use a practice referred to as greenwashing as a marketing tool for their services. Another example of misuse of ecotourism is that of Iranian company that claimed to construct a green luxury in Costa Rica. According to Sue, the company claimed to construct an environmentally friendly resort as a marketing strategy but failed to adhere to its promise. Public protest after the claims were realized to be misleading succeeded in stopping the construction.
Ambiguity in the use of the term ecotourism is highly due to the term being mistaken for nature tourism. Ecotourism is sometimes wrongly used as synonymous to nature, adventure and wildlife tourism. Although these form of tourism also require travelling, Honey claims that a distinction between the forms of tourism should be developed. Honey succeeds in showing that ecotourism is significantly different from nature tourism.
Ecotourism differs substantially from nature tourism by its objects as well as implication. When nature tourism involves travel to pristine areas to enjoy nature, ecotourism involves tourism activities that are friendly to the environment. Nature tourism activities such as hiking, biking have relatively low effect to the environment. Although nature tourism has low effect on environment, uncontrolled nature tourism can as well lead to environmental effects.
Despite of the ambiguity in the use of ecotourism, ecotourism is considerably different from nature tourism. According to Honey, ecotourism is concerned more with what a tourists do other than what they seek in their travel. The main focus, thus in the effects that result from tourists activities in tourism destinations. Ecotourism call for responsible conduct in travelers and also to other individuals involved in tourism industry. According to Klak and Flynn, ecotourism gives priority to conserving environment, ensuring low-activities in natural context, ensuring good interaction between visitors and locals and ensuring that local people benefit from tourism activities (Klak and Flynn 2008).
Ecotourism can be viewed in different perspectives. According to Honey, ecotourism can be divided into two: lite ecotourism and sound ecotourism. According to her sound ecotourism entails the objectives and qualities of ecotourism, while lite ecotourism entails the minor measures such as using less essential substances to preserve environment (Honey, 2008, p 451). According to Honey, the minor measures are what most investors in tourism industry market as ecotourism while ignoring on major issues. Green tourism, according to Honey should involve more than minor environmentally friendly activities but core issues that have severe effects on the environment.
Majority of what is claimed to be ecotourism belongs to the category of lite ecotourism. According to Flynn, increase of tourism companies that fail to offer sound ecotourism is a result of problems in defining ecotourism (Klak & Flynn, 2008, p 163). The lack of consistent definition of tourism leads to some players in the industry using ecotourism as a marketing tool while failing to adhere to principles of ecotourism. Despite of ecotourism being used as a marketing tool by some investors, many scholars agree that sound ecotourism has substantial effects on environmental conservation.
Concept of ecotourism was developed as a way to ensure that there was harmony between environment and tourism activities. According to Sharpley, the foundation of ecotourism lay on developing alternative tourism activities that ensured environmental sustainability and represented a paradigm shift to alternative tourism (Sharpley, 2009, p. 48). According to him the aim was to link economic sustainability of tourism to sustainable environment.
Environmental Sustainability in the Hotel Industry
Environmental sustainability is a major issue in hospitality industry. According to Darren, global environmental concerns in past twenty years have increased awareness on environmental issues (Tiller, 2009, par 1). According to him, many people are aware of such terms as greenhouse effect, Ozone depletion, global warming and acid rains. Due to this awareness and concern for ensuring good environment, many people have undertaken measure at individual level with aim for conserving the environment. According Darren Tiller, some people are concerned of the materials that they use, amount of fuel they use per day and even of the places that they seek various services. As people become more area of environmental effects of various businesses, the contribution of hotel industry to environmental effects is becoming apparent.
According to Darren, due to its nature, hotel industry leads to consumption of many materials and energy (Tiller, 2009, par 8). The quantity of non-durable product, water and other materials used in hotel industry is capable of having significant effect on the environment. According to Klak, the environmental effects of non-durable products and energy used in hotel industry are far higher than the effects of constructing the infrastructures. According to Darren, although hospitality industry does not contribute to gross pollution of t environment, the products and energy used in the industry have significant effects to the environment. The amount of products used in hospitality industry, due to the high number of customer, leads to environmental effects of hotels being higher than those of other buildings.
Awareness on effects on environment has affected customers taste and expectation. According to a research TUI, there have been significant changes in customers expectations and values. The research showed that environmental concerns have a significant influence on what customers regard as quality products. According to Darren, environmental quality is a major concern for holiday makers. According to Honey, tourism and hospitality industry is under high pressure to adopt environmentally friendly services. The pressure on hospitality industry to adopt environmentally friendly measures does not evolve from customer taste alone but also from increased environmental regulation. According to Darren, management in hospitality industry has to balance between ethics, customer satisfaction and need for aesthetics.
Concern for environmentally friendly services is on increases in hospitality industry. Environmental concerns mostly come second to other concerns such as costs and aesthetics. According to Darren, the economic recession has made hospitality operators be concerned of lowering cost other than investing in other issues. According to him, major hotels such as Inter-continental, Hilton and Ramada has set their standards for environmental concerns to meet customers environmental concerns as well as ensure profitability. According to a research, Being Green in hospitality industry scores highly in customer relation.
Sustainable development and customer satisfaction
Environmental concern is an important issue in customer satisfaction in hospitality industry. The idea of getting green is not fully accepted in hospitality industry. According to Audi, some see getting green as a customer relation tactics while other see getting green in the perspective of its contribution to environmental conservation. According to Scarkat, some investors in hospitality industry sell the idea of getting green but fail to implement measure that has significant contribution to environmental conservation (Kasim & Scarkat, 2007, p. 223).
The author gives an example of cleaning products that are advertised as green but have little contribution to environmental conservation. Kendra Walker of Hilton Hotel says that the reason why there are discrepancies in implementing the idea of getting green is that the ideas are in discovery stage in hospitality industry. According to him the new idea is being accepted in hospitality Industry with most hotels offering environmentally friendly services.
As some investors in hospitality industry sell the idea of getting green as a marketing tool, there those that are concerned of environmental effect. According to Audi, there is increase in customer demand for environmentally friendly services. The main concern for these kinds of customers is not only enjoying services from a hotel but also ensuring that by enjoying the services offered, they do not contribute to environmental degradation. Some hotels have taken major steps to ensure that they offer environmentally friendly services (Tiller, 2009, par 6).
According Darren, customer demand for environmentally friendly service has led to green certification on hospitality industry. Green certification has become a factor that environmental concerned customers look before choosing a hotel or a lodge. For example, Starwood or Marriott have secured green certification for some of its hotels with aim of meeting customer demand for environmentally friendly services (Audi, 2007, p89). In consequence to this, Marriot has also required its suppliers to ensure that the products they supply to its customer are environmentally friendly.
Methodology
Research plan
Environmental concerns have become a major issue in hospitality industry. The trend in demand for environmentally friendly services by customers and increase in environmental regulations will have significant effect on image of hospitality in the future. France is a major player in hospitality industry; any development in hospitality industry will have significant effect to the industry in France. The future trend green development in hospitality industry is highly depended on customer taste for green product and the ability of hospitality industry to satisfy the customer demands.
The strategy of the research will be to obtain data from hospitality industry in France, and analyses the data to obtain the level of customer satisfaction. 500 participants per brand will be used for the research. The main research question will be how the players in hospitality industry satisfy environmental concerns of their customers. The data will be obtained from Luxury chains with rating of four stars and above. Four star and above luxury chains are chosen because they constitute the main determinant of trend in hospitality industry. The information obtained from this category of hotels will represent the popular opinion on environmental concerns in hospitality industry.
Data obtained for the research will be from customer satisfaction surveys. One to one interviews, formal and informal interview, and questionnaires. The target respondents are customers in four stars and above hotels. Response will be obtained from customers with knowledge of sustainable development as well as those that are not aware of sustainable development. Response will also be obtained from workers in the luxury chains. Response will be obtained from both workers in managerial position and those in subordinate positions. In addition, various green standards used in the hotels under study will be analysed. For this analysis, the Saunders et al.s Research Methods for Business students will be used.
Customers from various luxury chains in France will be targeted to ensure that that information obtained represent the general opinion of majority of customers. Since some hotels already have green certification while other do not, the research will seek to know whether environmental concerns play a role in choice of hotels. Other parameters such as prices will also be considered to clarify whether prices or environmental concerns are involved in choice of a hotel. Information the willingness of customers to forgo some luxury for environmental concerns and their willingness to pay more for environmentally friendly services will be obtained. This will help to evaluate the future trend green development.
Respondent at different levels has different opinion over a research topic. The opinion of customers on environmental issues may differ substantially from the opinion held by employees and investors in hospitality industry. The opinion customers at different levels will be essential. The opinions of first time visitors to a hotel and those of regular customers may be different. For a good research, the difference in these opinions will be essential to the final result.
On the other hand there could be difference between the opinions of individuals in managerial position and those in subordinate position. Workers in subordinate positions have direct contact with customers and are more likely to be aware of customer demands. Individuals in managerial position, on the other hands have broad view of customer taste, preference and satisfaction in an individual station or a hospitality company. Opinions from both individual in managerial position and those in subordinate positions will be compared.
Design and development of the data collection methods
Primary data will be obtained using both questionnaires and in interviews. Questionnaires will be given to customers as they leave a hotel or sent to customers in guest list after they have left the hotels. Questionnaires targeting the customers will be different from those to be used on hotel workers. The questions on these questionnaires will reflect the kind of information that is required from the target research group. Questionnaires will be the main method of collecting primary data while interviews will be used to supplement questionnaires.
Since the research aims to obtain the level of customer satisfaction in hotels that provide green services , the questions in questionnaires targeting the customer will aim at obtaining their opinion on the issue. The questions will include who frequently the customers visit a certain hotel, the reason for choosing a certain hotel other that others, other hotels where the customer visit, the likelihood of a customer to return to a certain hotel, their awareness of green services, the probability of a customer returning to a certain hotel after green procedure are implemented and their general level of satisfaction. For the level of satisfaction, a five point scale will be used. A respondent will choose a scale value of five for highest level of satisfaction while a scale of one will be chosen for unsatisfactory serviced.
Both closed and open questions will be used in questionnaires. Closed questions will be used to limit the range of responses from a respondent. This will enable consistency in filling the questionnaires while ensuring that filling the questionnaires will be as easy as possible. Open questions will also be used. Open questions will be used on questions that do not have an obvious answer as well as questions that represent independent opinion of a respondent.
The number of open question will be kept as low as possible to avoid complication while analysing the data obtained. In both the closed and open questions, the questions will be made as simple as possible to ensure that there questions are answered with ease. In addition, the questionnaires will be made as short as possible. Since customers may be involved in many other issues, short questionnaire will be used to motivate many customers to participate. Since hotels in France host customers from different parts of the world, the questionnaires will be provided in all major languages.
Interviews in form of personal interview and telephone interview will be used to supplement questionnaires in collecting primary data. Information for interviews will be important in comparing with information from questionnaires as well as assist in data analysis (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 78).
Interview will be arranged for a number of customers on luxury chains as a well as a few of those that have left hotel. Interview will also be used with individuals in managerial positions and some of those in subordinate positions. Both closed and open questions will be used in the interviews. Open questions will be used to obtain broad opinion of participants while closed questions will be used to control the flow of the interviews. Interviews will allow follow-up questions to be used in obtaining information.
Suitability of research methods
Questionnaires are chosen as the main method for collecting data. Questionnaires will offer various advantages to the research. For a research with large number of participants, use of questionnaires is preferred for cutting cost while achieving the research objective. Questionnaires will be the most convenient method for collecting primary data from customers in luxury chains. Although some may be willing to participate in the research, some may view participation as a bother. With questionnaires, the participants will be allowed to carry the questionnaire with them, fill the questionnaires and then drop them at suitable collection point (Mertens, 2005, p. 65).
The ability of participants to carry the questionnaires with them will allow them to respond to the questionnaires at their free time. Use of semi-structured questionnaires makes it possible to more information to be answered while use of a five point scale will offer the general level of satisfaction. Questionnaires will also allow for quantitative data analysis methods to be used. The disadvantage of using questionnaires in this research is that participants will not be able to clarify on questions that they do not understand. To overcome this shortfall, simple straight forward questions will be used in the questionnaires.
Interviews will offer various advantages to the research. Interviews will be used on a few customers, workers and management. Interviews will offer the interviewer opportunity to clarify response from participant as well and observe nonverbal response (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p.103). Follow up questions will be very useful in the interviews. For participants that cannot be reached, telephone interviews will be used. This will allow the interviewer to acquire opinion of participant that cannot be reached at low cost and considerable convenience.
Conclusion
Environmental concerns among customers in hospitality industry are on the increase. As observed from literature review, there is a trend of getting green in hospitality industry. As some hospitality operators offer green services for environmental concerns, others do so for marketing. Since France is a major player in hospitality industry, the trend of getting green will have a significant effect to the industry. Customer satisfaction in green products is a major concern in hospitality industry. The research will seek to find out the level of customer satisfaction in green products in luxury chain in France.
Reference List
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The issue of e-waste recycling happening under dehumanizing conditions of the US penal system may be rightfully regarded as a manifestation of challenges facing the country today. Indeed, the increasing rates of prison populations across the state and extremely hazardous e-waste scopes are some of the most explicit socio-environmental problems that the US society has to tackle today. Instead of addressing these issues separately and mindfully, the local government made an effort to kill two birds with one stone while being driven by the economic benefit of such an endeavor (Conrad 348). However, in this metaphor, stone stands for actual human beings who are exposed to the threats of e-waste, improper recycling complications, and inhumane conditions of the state penitentiary system. For this reason, it is practically impossible to introduce any critique considering the arguments outlined in the article.
The notion of restorative environmental justice, emphasized in the text, is, by all means, a promising concept when interpreted appropriately. In the given context, the possible restorative outcomes become extremely complex when it comes to ethical consideration of penitentiary justice and human rights. Many people believe that being put at risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals may be less ethically questionable in the environment where people make amends for a committed crime. However, the theory of environmental justice goes beyond the causal links between crime and reparation. According to the European Forum or Restorative Justice (2), the possible restorative outcomes in the case of environmental harm include apologies, restoration of harm, prevention, and compensation. Considering the situation, these are the steps that are to be taken by the BOP and DOJ to prevent environmental justice from an irreversible collapse.
Works Cited
Conrad, Sarah M. A Restorative Environmental Justice for Prison E-Waste Recycling. Peace Review, vol. 23, no. 3, 2011, pp. 348-355.
European Forum for Restorative Justice. Thematic Brief on Restorative Environmental Justice. Leuven, Belgium, 2020.
For a long time, it has been known that one persons garbage is another ones treasure. It is a fact that people sometimes dispose of many useful things and at the same time, the things that end up in the garbage can say a lot about the person who put them there.
The primary item that is thrown out is food leftovers and cooking items. Most of the time, people are not aware of the amount of food particles that are not needed and can still be used in the process. The modern society has become rich with products and it is easy to get, just by going to the supermarket and picking up what is needed off the shelf.
This leads to people being not as careful about the amount of peeling they do or the size of the parts they cut off meats, vegetables and fruits., Another significant part of the garbage consists of old items that have lost their use.
These can be pens, cardboard boxes, old computer parts and much more that is related to things that can still be reused. In the modern times, recycling has become a great part of the social life and people have become much more careful with the way they dispose off their household items.
It is known that some people throw out furniture and house acquisitions that can be used by others. In the United Sates, it is very common for people to go through garbage and pick up things that are still very much useful. Many people ignore the functioning of many products and even if a slightest thing is broken they throw the item out. But, there is also a problem with the types of garbage and how people can make it a problem for the environment.
When the garbage is mixed between bottles, food, household items and chemicals, it becomes very detrimental for the environment. The time in which the garbage is picked up also plays a significant role in the way it is disposed of and the influence it has on the surrounding environment. It has been known that garbage that is left standing for a long time can cause allergies and other, more serious health problems.
One of the greatest pollutants in the world is construction garbage. Very often people do not have the place or time to dispose of it properly. The amount of work that is done to the household is bound to be extensive, during the years someone lives in a house or apartment. People forget that drywall, panels, and wood can become a hassle in disposing of it properly.
When looking at dorm and colleges or universities, papers and unneeded lecture notes can be seen flying all over the place. Clearly, the type of garbage defines people and their lives. If someone has more food items, it means they are more oriented towards cooking their own food. Left over packages from fast food and types of canned or quickly made dinners can also say a lot about the owner.
The result confirms that different people have a unique set of garbage items that are thrown out. Some might be careless, whereas others could be extremely careful in what is thrown out and what can still be used.
Human beings and natural ecosystems are inseparable. People use their natural environments to acquire various resources such as water, wood, and food (Goudie 9). However, this kind of interaction affects the integrity of every natural environment. Many people use this environment to achieve their economic goals (Goudie 13).
The government also uses the same environment to construct various infrastructures. Some of these infrastructures include dams, airports, and roads. These practices have affected the integrity of different ecosystems. This malpractice threatens every future generation. The concept presented in this paper encourages more people to safeguard their natural environments.
Why Human Beings Should Maintain a Sustainable Environment
Every person should embrace the idea of environmental sustainability. A balanced ecosystem will ensure people live harmoniously with other creatures (Friedman 3). Human beings should use various natural resources with caution. This situation explains why human beings should safeguard their surrounding environments.
Many people have destroyed different forests and catchment areas. Such individuals obtain wood and raw materials from such forests (Friedman 4). That being the case, human beings should use such natural resources in a proper manner. Human beings should not overexploit different natural resources. This malpractice can affect the lives of many people.
The concept of environmental conservation will also produce the best results. Many scientists have identified several practices that can conserve the environment. The first practice is planting more trees. This approach will reclaim many forests and natural habitats. Human beings should also be ready to conserve every natural forest (Ambrosius 6). Mankind should also introduce new plant species in every arid region. This practice will improve the level of environmental sustainability.
Global warming is a major challenge affecting many communities today. Mankind is the main cause of this global problem. That being the case, human beings should deal with the problem of global warming. They should begin by reducing the level of pollution. Many industrial activities produce hazardous gases. Such gases are currently depleting the ozone layer (Friedman 4).
This situation has increased the global temperatures (Friedman 4). Such temperatures have resulted in climate change. This fact explains why human beings should be ready to deal with the problem of global warming (Ambrosius 3).
Every person should embrace the best sustainable practices. This practice will safeguard every natural environment. Human beings should also use renewable sources of energy. Such sources of energy will conserve different natural environments. Some of these energy sources include the sun, water, and bio-fuel (Ambrosius 7).
The continued use of coal is currently threatening the integrity of the natural environment. Human beings should also conserve various resources such as water, food, and electricity (Goudie 74). This practice will produce the best results. The government must also use effective legal frameworks in order to protect every natural forest.
Conclusion
The natural environment is degrading at a very alarming rate (Goudie 83). This development might affect the future of many societies. The problem of climate change is currently affecting many communities. The planet has experienced disastrous weather patterns such as typhoons and tsunamis. Many communities will encounter new challenges in the future.
That being the case, every person should work hard in order to conserve our environment. This practice will promote the idea of human posterity. Every society should use the above suggestions in order to safeguard its surrounding environment.
Works Cited
Ambrosius, W. Deep Ecology: A Debate on the Role of Humans in the Environment. UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research 1.1 (2005): 1-8. Print.
The accelerated rate of human development and indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources are forcing dramatic changes on our Planet. Global warming is just one such warning sign that the delicate global ecosystem is very near the tipping scale. Therefore, it devolves upon the human race to find solutions so that man and nature can harmonize their needs to ensure a sustainable future. This essay aims to examine the various facets of human interactions and their interface with the environment towards achieving a sustainable future.
There are many prerequisites for developing a sustainable society. One of them is Sustainable Development which is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Beratan 3). Hence a stable and secure economy, optimal exploitation of natural resources, ecological balance and a stable society is vital. The optimal interplay between human dynamics and the environment could form the basis for a truly sustainable future. Ensuring such a challenging set of prerequisites requires a whole community effort. Not only are the politicians, economists, technocrats, businessmen, environmentalists and academicians required, but also the common man whose wholehearted participation in the sustainable future measures is critical. While the politicians and technocrats would give the necessary policy directions and governmental support, the environmentalists and academics would provide the necessary technical means and knowledge. The support of the businessmen would be crucial as it would be necessary to convince them to align their business practices to become more green instead of just looking at the short-term profitability of their ventures. Finally, the common man or the lay public needs to be convinced that the policies and practices implemented are needed for the common good as well as individual well-being. With all the stakeholders involved, building a resilient ecosystem could become possible.
Ecosystem resilience can be defined as the abilities of an ecosystem to recover in the wake of disturbance, to evolve, and to adapt flexibly to new conditions, reflect self-organizing capacities (Breckenridge 298). Ecosystems can adapt to gradual changes and gradual losses as long as the changes incorporated lie within the recuperative range of the ecosystem. Moment the change wrought is disruptive beyond the recuperative range, an ecosystem fails. For example, if the felling of trees in a rainforest is controlled at a rate at which the rain forest can regenerate lost foliage, the ecosystem will recover. However to give shape to such recuperative measures requires adherence to principles such as stewardship.
Stewardship implies that everyone in this world has a responsibility to other people and the world. Stewardship in business encompasses ethical management of all activities involved in production, use and disposal of goods produced which includes a responsibility to ensure safe handling throughout the life cycle of the product in use. This means conforming to the ethics, not taking shortcuts, following the laws of the land in letter and spirit, inculcating sustainable practices and promoting awareness to customers, employees, and the general public. In governance, the concept of stewardship is of paramount importance. It is important for the political class to understand that implementing sustainable policies involves practicing supportive politics. For example, a governmental policy to ban smoking should not be held hostage to the political pressure from the Tobacco lobby.
The recent trends in ensuring a sustainable future are now encompassing all aspects of human endeavor. These include using green technologies and green architecture to incorporating conservation methods and recycling for buildings, houses and business practices as also green transportation. The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large (KPMG 7) has gathered greater momentum. The international community now is no longer leaving sustainability to the realms of academic discussions but is taking measures by which conservation and optimum utilization of resources are promoted proactively. This is being done by enacting strict country-specific environmental protection laws as also voluntary enactments which enhance brand value. The World Wildlife Fund recommends that ensuring a sustainable future would involve, tackling climate change, ensuring food and water security and drawing up a plan for sustainable resource management (WWF 2).
These are just some of the initiatives that require to be taken. In the conclusion it can be emphatically stated that humanitys future will depend on its ability to form global consensus on matters relating to sustainable exploitation of the resources, evolving best practices, policies and laws governing all human activities so that future generations have a self-generating resilient global ecosystem which will provide the requisite physical, food, water, health, economic and social security.
Works Cited
Beratan, Kathy K. Pointing Pennsylvania Toward a Sustainable Future. 2006. Web.
Breckenridge, Lee P. Can Fish Own Water?: Envisioning Nonhuman Property in Ecosystems. Journal of Land Use Vol 20:2.2005. 293-335.
Environmental problems are bothering not only professionals but also simple people who want to know the development of the situation in the world. Still, the professionals from different spheres remain the most preoccupied people who care for the changes in the surrounding world. The environmental issues are usually connected with human health and if something happens scientists usually think about the influence of the affair on human health.
The changes in the environment happen every day. Some of these changes are really dangerous, some of them are just the predicted consequences or reasons for other disasters. The most recent environmental problem which happened in the world is connected with the diseases of human being and land animals found in marine life.
The problem is rather specific and requires deeper research as in case the parasites which attached marine animals will mutate people and land species will be in danger of being infected with the diseases the marine life is full of, and most marine species and diseases are not even discovered yet.
Considering the situation, the scientists report the vast majority of cases when human and livestock diseases are spread on marine life become more and more frequent. Such bacteria and infections as clostridium difficile, harbour seals, coxiella burnetti, cryptococcus gattii, fungus, toxoplasma gondii, sarcocystis neurona and sarcocystis neurona are the parasites which have been recently met in the marine animals.
Considering the effects these bacteria may result in the following consequences should be remembered, the production of the lethal toxins in the intestine, the development of the clinical disease and succumb to the infection, the cause of the aborts or impact on weak offsprings development, and some of them may be fatal to marine life as they are fatal for the human beings (Pynn n.p.).
The bacteria and parasites which are met in the dead bodies of the marine animals really frustrate as it means that the mutation takes place. The organism managed to infect the species which were sustainable to them before. Something has changed and this may be the main reason for concern as the changes in the environment which have caused such changes may effect other organisms.
There are a lot of other consequences and bacteria which cause them. Dwelling upon the possibilities of the infection appearance and its spread, the scientists consider the opportunities of the water, air and soil delivery. The infection could appear in the body of the marine organisms, such as whales, via the air.
There animals have to use air and they are believed to exchange large amounts of air during breathing, this might be one of the ways the organism appeared in the marine life. Additionally water and soil pollution could be the reasons. The scientists prefer to think that is was the source of infection as if to consider the research conducted by a number of scientific centers and organizations is becomes obvious that more and more marine organisms are in danger.
Looking at the number of dead marine organisms and their size on the seashores, scientists cannot even imagine what is happening in the ocean with small organisms which are not seen (Muldoon n.d.).
The environmental health professionals are really disturbed about the problem. The presence of the infection in the marine organisms is really disturbing as the inability to treat these infections with the antibiotics makes the problem more devastating. The infections mentioned above were difficult for treating when they were found in animals.
Different kinds and types of antibiotics did not provide any results. The treatment of the marine organisms with such antibiotics is useless. The environmental health professionals should make sure that they are doing all possible to save those infected marine organisms which are already infected but are not dead.
The research should be done with taking the samples of the blood and of the skin of the dead organisms with the purpose to create the vaccine and prevent the spread of the disease further. Moreover, the water, soil and air samples in the infected organisms should be taken to identify the viruses which are there as this may help in the research.
Therefore, it ma be concluded that he environmental problems become more complicated for the scientific society. Dealing with the spread of bacteria and parasites is always difficult, especially in this case when it becomes obvious that the viruses which previously affected only human beings and land animals have spread on the new spices.
Marine organisms are under attack and the problem is really serious as scientists are not sure neither in the types of the bacteria which now infect marine life nor in the ways of bacteria spread.
The number of infected is also unknown as the world ocean is not researched up to the end and the number and the types of the organisms are not known at all. Possessing the information which is just seen on the dead samples, scientists can draw just the surface conclusions.
Works Cited
Muldoon, Katy. Animal nature: Are humans, land animals spreading disease to marine life? Eagle watching; endangered-species ringtones. Oregon Live LLC. OregonLive.com 23 Feb. 2012. Web.
Pynn, Larry. Land-based pathogens discovered in marine mammals; scientists fear funding cuts for investigations. Vancouver Sun. Vancouver Sun. 18 Feb. 2012. Web.