The Boom of Arctic Doom Tourism
An eager to explore has always been a part of the human mind. From the first men exploring new lands, through the Age of Discovery, and to the Apollo expeditions, we are seeking the unknown. Some might say the toughest of them all, are the polar explorers that conducted the expeditions to the Arctic, Antarctic, Greenland, Svalbard and so on. In Norway, Amundsen and Nansen are not only seen as explorers but huge celebrities, superheroes and even Nation builders of their time. When Amundsen planted the Norwegian flag on the South pole, he was not only the first man there himself, he also represented the whole country. Back home the explorers were reporting about large areas covered in ice, tougher conditions than anywhere on the planet, new animals and unique experiences.
Now it is time for you and me to discover these lands, to challenge ourselves and to experience something extreme as a contrast to our everyday life. As the strive to reach new destinations few others have posted images of on Instagram increases, more people get their eyes up for the Arctic and Antarctic. The destinations have extreme conditions, unique nature and relatively few visitors, being perfect destinations to tick of an Instagrammers bucket list. At the same time the poles are melting, temperatures are higher than ever, and the wildlife is changing — an even better argument to visit the Arctic before it is too late.
A climate in change
Moving on from the first expeditions to the poles, these lands have changed. The exploring is over as we knew it, as all lands are discovered and added to the map. Today’s discovering and research is not about finding new land, but more about why it apparently is changing so drastically, and even disappearing. We might even have to redraw our map.
The climate change has a huge impact in the Arctic, and almost nothing on planet earth is changing as fast as the Arctic sea ice[1]. In 1979 they started monitoring the ice levels with satellites, and since then the reports have been devastating[2]. Since 1980 the temperatures have increased twice as much in the Arctic as in the rest of the world. In 30 years both the ice area and thickness are almost halved during the summer, and almost three quarters of its volume are gone compared to 1980. In 2012 the ice area hit an all-time low since we started monitoring ice levels and reached the point predicted by UN in 2007 to come in 2070.
One of the reasons to the accelerating temperature in the arctic is because of the self-enforcing loop where ice-covered areas are replaced with open water. This not only leads to less reflection of energy from the sun but even more absorption of energy by the open water[3]. Thin and cracked ice is also more exposed to wind and currents bringing hot water to the surface enforcing the melting effect. Increased ice melting not only boosts the local warming, it also affects the ocean currents, leading to changes in our global weather systems, and has impact on the climate beyond the Arctic area. These effects are hard to predict, and we do not know how much impact it will have on the total sea ice reduction in the future.
As the ice melts, especially during summertime, a new and large threat comes closer; Arctic methane. The effect is not too well known, but as talked about in the book A Farewell to Ice, it has the potential to be one of the most catastrophic effects of them all[18:131]. Beneath the shallow waters of the Eastern Siberian Sea there is large areas equal to the permafrost on land, holding large amounts of methane gas. When the ice melts and the water underneath is warmed up, the seabed starts to release huge clouds of bubbles with methane gas into the atmosphere. Methane is an even more powerful greenhouse gas than the CO2, as it has 23 times the warming potential. Sea Ice scientist Peter Wadams did a calculation stating that if 10 percent of the arctic methane gas is released, it will lead to a 0.6℃ increase of temperature by 2040[18:135] — by its own.
Impact on wildlife
When the ice melts and huge areas are changing, it also has a huge impact on the local wildlife. Especially for the species relying on the sea ice, the development is life threatening. Marine mammal species like the ringed seal and polar bears uses the sea ice to move around, find food and feed their cubs, so if the ice melts it will have life-threatening consequences[4]. The warmer climate will also lead to other species entering the Arctic, leading to more pressure on food and space for all living there[5].
These readings are devastating in itself, as it seems like things already has gone too far. With the numbers gone even further than predicted, by a large margin, it seems like a no brainer that we need to leave no stone unturned in our attempts to stop the development. As Peter Wadams talks about in his book; while we wait for more knowledge and better technology, we need to start doing what we know we can do and hold control over — reduce our CO2 emissions[18 : 213].
Arctic tourism — a growing industry
While all of this is happening, the explorer tourism in the Arctic and Antarctic is booming as never before. The number of tourists visiting the Arctic is increasing and the tourism companies are investing more than ever. According to a recent study, the number of tourists in the Arctic has increased by around 600% during the winter half, the last 10 years[6]. The Arctic was for long an unknown and unreachable destination for tourists. But because of the warmer climate leading to a longer season, the Arctic has grown to a tourism goal.
As the ice melts and the polar bears have less area to move within, a sea of possibilities opens up for the cruise industry. Larger cruise ships can move around, and the smaller explorer cruises can go even further than before. The number of cruise ships arriving Longyearbyen over doubled from 2012 to 2018 and knowing that the size and passenger capacity of these ships has increased by large over the years, the number of cruise passengers have increased even more[7]. In Alaska, the cruise tourism represents half of the total number of visitors each year, with about 1 million passengers.
The growth of cruise tourism in these highly pressured areas does not match with the devastating development in the climate. Especially when reading that traveling by cruise ships is by far one of the most polluting ways of traveling per passenger per kilometre[8]. Yes, there is initiatives like Hurtigrutens new Nansen and Amundsen vessels made to reduce pollution, but it is only cut by 20 percent.
The increased cruise ship traffic not only affects the climate directly by pollution — it also leads to a higher pressure on the wildlife. With the demand for seeing exotic species and to reach out to landmarks, the tourism disturbs animals and trampling down vulnerable vegetation. In a report created for the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research they also highlight a that the cruise ship traffic contributes to the spread of foreign species in the Arctic[9]. Those species can be a major threat to the local ecosystems as the Arctic species richness is relatively small[10].
A boom of doom tourism
When reading all these negative effects of the tourism, it is strange that the Arctic tourism is a growing industry, with more and more people putting the destination on their bucket list. At the same time, looking at the Arctic in the light of being a tourist destination, it is understandable. It is exotic, different from anything else, offering nature and experiences no other place can offer. The tourist companies are highly aware of the value of a unique destination like this, marketing tours where you can see and do things few others have done. And it has an extra argument — You need to see the Arctic before it is too late.
The Arctic ticks of all the boxes to be a doom tourist destination. Doom tourism, also called last chance tourism, is a travel to a place that are “doomed towards extinction” or about to change as we know it due to man-made or natural causes. The Great Barrier Reef, Venice and many glaciers are typical destinations for doom tourists. What makes the Arctic even more unique in the list of doom tourism goals, is that there are relatively few others that have visited the areas before. The Great Barrier Reef have been a tourist destination for years, but the Arctic is quite new in the game. I do think that this increases the feeling of being a part of something unique, making it even more desirable.
The Dilemma
When knowing about the climate situation in the Arctic, I find it hard to follow that it is a good idea to send even more tourists and larger vessels out in these areas. Even from an economical perspective it looks like a bad investment to put huge amounts of money into ships supposed to go to an area that is disappearing at a faster pace than ever. Especially when the ships are a direct contributor to the accelerating disappearance of the ice-covered areas. It sounds like a short-term investment at best.
A downward going spiral
This all leads to downward going spiral, moving faster and faster: We have a situation where the sea ice melts because of global warming caused by pollution. The vanishing ice leads to more interest to visit, because of new areas to explore and it is our last chance to see it as we know it. An expanding tourism industry is answering to this demand and invest more money and builds more ships. This feeds up under the increased interest to see these areas before it is too late. The increased activity leads to even more pollution, and the ice is melting even faster, and we have to visit even sooner.
Ambassadors of the Arctic
When confronted with the dilemma the tourist industry has their arguments. In a newspaper article, a representative from Hurtigruten commented that they believe they are making ambassadors of the Arctic, being able to spread the knowledge about these suffering lands on a global level through social media[11]. This outweigh the consequences of the pollution made by having these cruise trips.
One can agree there is something in this argument. Looking back at the great expeditions and how important the “ambassadors” Nansen and Amundsen was to bring the Arctic and Antarctic to the agenda. Now these things are more fragmented, and we have our own role models that we choose to follow on Instagram. The competition to reach out to peoples “feed” is higher than ever. It would not be easy to follow the old model, with the research environment creating one role model to compete against celebrities like the Kardashians to get their attention towards the importance of caring about the arctic. Therefore, there is a strength in numbers to get the Arctic to the agenda. By bringing more people to the Arctic it will be more exposed, which will lead to more visitors and more stories. And the stories are valuable, as we live in a world where the news and social media holds the truth of what is important now.
Building a relation to the unknown
As the situation is now, there is a problem to reach out and communicate the urgency of taking care of the poles. I do think one problem is that the Arctic is too far away for people to care, especially when so few has a close relation to it. One upside of the tourism might be that bringing more people to these areas, putting more money into it, and explore more of it, will also build a stronger relation the poles. We can hope, but even if it works overtime there is a question of how fast — the ice melting does not wait.
Another question I do have is what the ambassadors and all its followers should do next, when the word is spread. I cannot see how they are protecting the arctic by spreading the word alone. Where is the message from the tourism companies telling what you should do — I should do — We should do?
As it is now, my hypothesis is that the effect is more likely to be that even more people wants to visit the ice-covered lands, because other people like them did the same. The major part of the “ambassadors” will end up being ambassadors for “why you should go to the Arctic”, rather than for “why you should care about protecting the Arctic from its downfall”.
Benefits the local economy
The argument of spreading the word is a challenging one, because the positive impact is arguable. Where they do see an impact of the Arctic tourism is in the remote communities around in the Arctic, where it supports the development of the local economy.
An example of that is on Svalbard, where the main income originally came from the coal industry. Now this industry is closed down, and replaced by research, students and tourism. Before the 1990s organised tourism on Svalbard was almost none existing[12]. But after 15 years they had 30 000 visitors each year, and the cruise tourism contributed with equal numbers each year. Now the number of visitors has tripled and is still growing. This has led to a situation where it is more jobs on Svalbard, developing infrastructure and a great help to keep the small community on Svalbard going. Another example is in Alaska where they do see that the terrestrial access is decreasing, as the permafrost heats up and makes it harder to have roads[13]. But as the tourist industry grows and invest more money into ships and infrastructure like harbours, they will also help the local societies to be able to continue living in these areas.
Consequences
Meanwhile tourism has become one of the main pillars in the local economy, one should ask the question if it leads to an unsustainable pressure on a small society. When a large cruise ship holding the twice as many passengers as the population in Longyearbyen enters, it overloads the infrastructure, put high pressure on the local environment and might be overwhelming for the locals.
I do think this is a good reason to support tourism driven by the local society, rather than by external mass tourism companies. The locals have more knowledge about the area, and it is their interest to protect it. This could self-regulate the number of tourists and make it easier to keep the tourism proportionally to the population, making sure you do not get an overload of tourists invading the community.
A call for change
From an environmental perspective, switching from a coal dependent economy is a good thing. At the same time there is a question if one has changed to a lesser bad alternative, rather than to a good alternative. When looking at the tourism industry and learning more about the impact on the climate and wildlife, it seems risky to take the chance. The economical aspect is of course important for the local community, there is no problem to understand that. But with later reports saying that Longyearbyen needs to be moved or rebuilt due to melting permafrost and increased danger of avalanche caused by climate change[14], even the tourism industry have to make sure there still is a destination to go to. Therefore, acting in the benefit of the climate should be our highest priority.
Of course, the tourism industry should not get all the blame for the temperature increase in the Arctic, not by any means. The system is much more complicated and encompassing than that. Still, it is a significant contributor to the total pollution in the Arctic, and they do have a responsibility to change and adapt quickly. Some might say that the tourism is going to increase in the future anyway — the ball has start rolling and have too much traction to stop. If that is so, it is an even stronger argument to start thinking of a more sustainable way of doing tourism. Otherwise it might not be tourism in the Arctic as we know it.
Regulations in the works
Regulatory authorities have already started to take action to ensure that the pollution goes down, and even removed. Organisations and regulations like AECO and the Polar Code, are made to make sure everyone in the tourism industry is doing what they can to reduce pollution and take care of the environment while traveling in the Arctic[15]. New regulations are in the works for Svalbard, saying that only zero-emission vessels are allowed to carry tourists around Svalbard from 2026, like the new regulations for UNESCO listed fjords in Norway[16]. While these are good measures, they feel a bit passive when looking at the climate situation. I get a feeling that the regulations are adapting to the technology, to be in sync. That might work in other areas, securing a smooth transition. But in this case, we have no time to wait and the regulations should set the tone, forcing the technology to adapt. As a tech-optimist I do believe that this push would make things happen.
While waiting
While waiting for stricter regulations and better technology, I do think there is a need for thinking different about the way of doing tourism in the Arctic. The tourist industry has a huge responsibility developing their business model in a sustainable way. Imagine having a ship with sails or limited engine power, forcing you not always going from A to B, but rather start from A and see where you end up. This would build up under the explorer-narrative, where you as a tourist felt like you were going into new areas. Another aspect would be that this gave you a unique experience from the tours before. Having to travel by the rules of nature, not defying it, has a potential.
Another thought on these Arctic tours is the power of educate the tourists “in field”. I read about a tourist guide telling that the tourists behaved really good on the guided tours and picked up their garbage and cleaned up much more than back home. On their tours they used some time to emphasize the importance of not litter because of the environment, and it helped. But maybe it goes beyond that. The Arctic is a window into the future of a world heavily affected by the global warming. There, it is no longer talk about when things will happen, it is already happening. The consequences are very visible — too visible some would say. But the “good part” is that it communicates the consequences well, and it becomes a problem you cannot overlook. This might be an argument to learn the tourist as they visit the arctic, and to learn that they should take action when they get back home, so these kinds of consequences not will happen in their local environment.
In Canada such thoughts are already brought up. In a list of recommendations proposed to promote sustainable tourism in the Canadian Arctic, one of the key recommendations is the “Need for guides in the Canadian Arctic to educate visitors about impacts of climate change and need for lifestyle and behavioural changes”[17]. In Alaska they also have thought of refocusing the tourism towards an environment educational focus.
The climate does not wait
The issues in the Arctic holds a lot of complicated dilemmas. The distant location makes it exotic to visit, but too far away to care. It is too large to understand, but impossible to ignore. Its tourism is contributing to its disappearance, but it is a good way to spread knowledge. The fast ice melting calls for decreased pollution but appeals to our fear of missing out — so we have to see it before it is too late.
In all these dilemmas it is easy to get lost. Then I do think it is important to look to the facts. The facts are stating that we cannot continue polluting — a reduction will even not be enough [18:201]— we have to change drastically. With that as our scope we can start to seek solutions, new technologies and different ways of solving tourism within that frame — and not in spite of.
As tourism might be a major threat to the Arctic, it might be a saviour as well. This is because the tourism in these areas are built on experiences in the nature and wildlife, and if it suddenly vanishes, there is no tourism. Other places in the world might not be that reliant on the nature, as they can build attractions, resorts, shopping malls to make it an attractive place to visit. But in the Arctic tourism is a thing because of the unique nature and wildlife that is there, and that you can’t experience other places in the world. Therefore, the tourist industry, as they invest more into the tourism in the Arctic, will also fight even harder to make it last. Otherwise their investment is gone.
But as stated before, the downward going spiral of the tourism industry contributing to the pollution, and the global warming leading to more open waters, which again opens the possibility for more tourism activity, is not sustainable. If we do not seek new ways of thinking, we might end up having to choose between one of the two. Either save the Arctic or save its tourism industry — and I think we all know what the answer should be.
Either if one argues for continuing the tourism industry in the Arctic because of knowledge spreading and economy growth, reducing the growth to have time to look into new technologies and solutions, or even close down the entire industry, this is an important discussion to bring up now. Otherwise the Arctic tourism might grow out of our control, just like the climate. We cannot control the climate directly, but we can control the tourism industry. Therefore, the tourism industry and all its supporting industries like shipbuilders, architects, designers and commercial industries have the opportunity and responsibility to turn every stone in the exploration of new solutions to save the Arctic. One thing is for certain, the environment is changing fast — so should we.
Recommended reading
A Farewell to ice
Written by Peter Wadams
An in-depth book about ice, its importance and global warning.
A Farewell to ice, is a book written by the sea ice scientist Peter Wadams. The book gives a real in-depth explanation about the sea ice, from a molecule level all the way to its importance to the global climate system. The book makes the role of sea ice easier to understand by thoroughly explaining what it is doing to the globe now, and all the negative effects it starts and contributes to when it melts. By both referring to his personal experiences as a sea ice scientist, combined with science and predictions, he explains in an engaging way why we should take action now, and what will happen if we don’t.
Arctic Tourism: Realities and possibilities
Written by Patrick T. Maher, Hans Gelter, Kevin Hillmer-Pegram, Gestur Hovgaard, John Hull, Gunnar Þór Jóhannesson, Anna Karlsdóttir, Outi Rantala, & Albina Pashkevich.
A look into the status of the Arctic tourism.
This paper gives a look into the status of tourism in the Arctic today, and sets the focus on current challenges related to the tourism. By looking into many different tourism destinations in the Arctic, the paper highlights a variety of challenges due to tourism. It also shows the broad spectre of considerations to take when reviewing the impacts of a growing tourism industry in the Arctic. Along with discussing the current situation, it also looks into what might be in the future. When walking through each destination, it goes into current status, consequences of the tourism, potential solutions and possible outcomes in the future.
Tourism on Svalbard and the in the Arctic.
Written by Hogne Øian and Bjørn Kaltenborn
About impact of tourism on Svalbard and in the Arctic
The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research has published a report on how tourism on Svalbard and in the arctic impacts the nature, cultural memories and the society. It gives a good overview of what we know about the impact of the Arctic tourism, in a structured way. The reports also highlight other effects of the tourism than the well-known CO2-pollution, giving a broader perspective to the discussion about the Arctic tourism. It also discusses the balance between the upside of the tourism for the local society and the downside for the climate.
Complete reference list
[1] Norwegian Polar Institute. (2018). Climate change in the Arctic. Retrieved from: https://www.npolar.no/tema/klimaendringer-arktis/#toggle-id-4
[2] Store Norske Leksikon. (2018). Climate change in the Arctic. Retrieved from: https://snl.no/klimaendringer_i_Arktis.
[3] Norwegian Environment Agency. (2019). The Arctic Climate. Retrieved from: https://miljostatus.miljodirektoratet.no/tema/polaromradene/arktis/klima-i-arktis/
[4] Norwegian Polar Institute. (2019). Fauna in Svalbard. Retrieved from: https://www.npolar.no/en/themes/fauna-svalbard/#toggle-id-2
[5] Norwegian Environment Agency. (2019)
[6] Claire A. Runge, Remi M. Daigle, Vera H. Hausner. (2020). Quantifying tourism booms and the increasing footprint in the Arctic with social media data. Retrieved from: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0227189#pone.0227189.ref003
[7] Øian, H. Kaltenborn, B. (2020). Tourism on Svalbard and the in the Arctic. Effects on the natural environment, cultural monuments and societies with an emphasis on cruise tourism. NINA Repport 1745. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. Retrieved from: https://brage.nina.no/nina-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2643245/1745.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
[8] Vestforsk. (2019). Emissions long journeys and CO2 equivalents per passenger-km. Retrieved from: http://transport.vestforsk.no
[9] Øian and Kaltenborn 2020 : 28
[10] Øian and Kaltenborn 2020 : 29
[11] Bergskaug, E. (2018, July 31). Expedition cruise in the Arctic: -The industry cannot grow into eternity. ABC Nyheter. Retrieved from: https://www.abcnyheter.no/reise/reisenyheter/2018/07/31/195419859/ekspedisjonscruise-i-arktis-naeringen-kan-ikke-vokse-inn-i-evigheten
[12] Eliassen, T. Tourism today. Svalbard Museum. Retrieved from: https://svalbardmuseum.no/no/kultur-og-historie/turisme/
[13] Patrick T. Maher, Hans Gelter, Kevin Hillmer-Pegram, Gestur Hovgaard, John Hull, Gunnar Þór Jóhannesson, Anna Karlsdóttir, Outi Rantala, & Albina Pashkevich. (2014). Arctic Tourism: Realities & Possibilities.(3) Retrieved from: https://arcticyearbook.com/images/yearbook/2014/Scholarly_Papers/15.Maher.pdf
[14] Kaltenborn, B. P., Østreng, W., & Hovelsrud, G. K. (2019). Change will be the constant–future environmental policy and governance challenges in Svalbard. Polar Geography, 1–21.
[15] Øian and Kaltenborn 2020 : 23
[16] Norwegian Maritime Authority. (2019). Amendments to the Regulations on environmental safety for ships and mobile offshore units. Retrieved from: https://www.sdir.no/sjofart/regelverk/rundskriv/endring-av-forskrift-om-miljomessig-sikkerhet-for-skip-og-flyttbare-innretninger2/
[17] Maher et al. 2014 : 4–5
[18] Wadams, P.(2017) A Farewell to Ice. Penguin Books
