Global Warming

Posted by Cathy Smith May 2, 2007

One only has to look at the masses of tourists who fill up cruise ships to the Antarctic, for example. They come to see for themselves the penguins and seals; animals they could easily see in the zoo. Sure, it’s more exciting/interesting to see them in their natural environment, but at what price?

When those ships sail in Antarctic waters they are burning fuel, which adds to emissions and increases global warming. There are other damaging aspects to such tourist ventures. What if there was a massive spill of heavy fuel into the waters? It has happened before and the, so far, pristine waters of the Antarctic are becoming more vulnerable.

Huge cruise ships carrying close to 4,000 passengers and crew are sailing amongst the icebergs. I mean, do we have to see everything and go everywhere? What happened to imagination? In the ‘good old days’, environmentally speaking, intrepid explorers went out into the world’s wilderness areas and brought back photos, film and other information about strange new worlds. Do we really have to see them for ourselves when the cost is so high?

The animals need as little interference as possible for them to survive in their natural habitat. What would the great Canadian environmentalist, Grey Owl, think of it all? If it were not for his concern about the continuing extinction of the beaver from Canada’s great wild places, there probably wouldn’t any beavers around today. If you are wondering what this has to with the Antarctic, it’s all about attitude and concern for the environment in general. Animals, forests, pristine waters all need to be carefully guarded. Imagine a world without them.