Watch the video on how the Philippines deal with the challenges of tourism. Where is the island located? What are the negative impacts of tourism on the island? How did the government and people fixed the problems? Why is it important to promote sustainable tourism?
Economic development and Population Growth in China leading to increasing need for food. This has lead to the clearance of land for cattle ranching and growth of soya bean as food for cattle in the Amazon.
Chinese beef imports have jumped by about 50 times since 2011, reaching a million tonnes in 2018. China consumes 28 per cent of the world’s meat. And it has turned to Brazil, home to the world’s largest cattle herd, to feed its appetite for beef.Last year, Brazil shipped 1.64 million tonnes of beef, 44 per cent of which went to China.
Amazonian forests are being cleared for farms at a worsening rate. In the first nine months of 2019, deforestation was up by 93 per cent from 2018 and at a 10-year peak.
China still has a massive livestock industry, which is why the country is buying not only Brazilian beef, but also soya beans, a vital grain in animal feed.Tariffs on American soya beans have made Chinese buyers look elsewhere, so 75 per cent of their soya bean imports in 2018 came from Brazil as its shipments to China jumped by almost a third. To ease the transportation of the soya beans, one of the infrastructure project is to build more than 40 dams to turn the Tapajos River and its tributaries in the Amazon into an industrial waterway fit for large ships. The indigenous people are negatively affected as there is no longer enough fish to make fishing viable.The land is taken away from them for cattle ranching and growing soya beans. The water is contaminated and this brings diseases through the dirty water.
Venice under water on 13 Nov 2019 with high water mark at 1.87m. Will Singapore face the same situation in time? Woes of countries facing rising sea level due to climate change.
A tourist pushes her floating luggage in the flooded Piazza San Marco on November 13, 2019.
A firefighter in scuba gear wades through water, past a flooded car, in Venice on November 13, 2019.
Where is Venice located?
Why is Venice prone to flooding?
Who are affected by the flooding?
What are the environmental, social and economic impacts of rising sea level to Venice?
How can the impact of rising sea level be mitigated?
Where is Cikuya village? Why does Tebing Koja (Kettle Cliff) attract tourists? Who benefit from the development of tourism in the area? What are the benefits brought by tourism to the village? What are the negative impacts brought by the tourists? Why did conflict arise between the owner of the quarry and the villagers? How do you think the government can resolve the confict?
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3026428/hong-kong-tourism-suffers-worst-downturn-sars?utm_content=article&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1568077414 How does political unrest affect tourism? Where did this occur? When did this happen? Who are the ones affected? What other factors affect tourism? Why is there a concern on the impact of political unrest on HK tourism?
Why are medical tourism attractive in SE Asia? What are the benefits brought by the development of medical tourism? Where are the tourists mainly from?
Medical tourism in Malaysia is growing with approximately 1.2 million people visited the country to seek medical treatment in 2018. Penang is the top medical tourism destination in Malaysia, generatinv 40 to 50 per cent of the country's medical tourism income and this has numerous multiplier effects on the local economy.
Growth of Medical tourism in SE Asia mainly attributed to:
Rising income levels
Greater awareness of health issues
An increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
Cheaper travel and accommodation
Quality medical tourism with Southeast Asian healthcare facilities regularly featured in the annual list of the world’s best hospitals for medical tourists by the Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA)
When is India prone to flooding? What is the main cause of flooding in India? Who are affected by the flooding? Flooding in India on the onset of the SW Monsoon killed dozens and displaced thousands at the start of July 2019.
Look at how the flood as a results of the monsoon killed 324 and displaced more than 200,000 in Aug last year (2018)
India experiencing SW Monsoon in July which brings heavy rain as the onshore wind crosses the Indian ocean.
The NE Monsoon is an offshore wind and bring little or no rain to India.
The flooding caused by the monsoon has led to widespread damage and deaths in India.
The southern state of Kerala, a tourist haven known for its beaches, hill resorts and backwaters, has been the worst hit region for the second consecutive year, forcing the closure of the Kochi international airport for three days last week.At least 76 people have died, 58 are missing and another 32 have received injuries in Kerala.
Around 288,000 people across the state's worst affected districts including Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode have been moved to relief camps.At least 42 people have also lost their lives and 580,000 people evacuated in neighbouring Karnataka state.
In recent years, days when maximum temperatures exceed 34 deg C and nights when minimum temperatures exceed 26 deg C have been more frequent in Singapore. It is also projected that average temperature in Singapore will increase between 1.4 deg C and 4.6 deg C, as well as more frequent warmer days and nights by 2100.
These temperature changes are due to larger-scale greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and Singapore's urbanisation. Replacing Singapore's natural forests and mangroves with buildings and other infrastructure results in built-up surfaces producing more heat. At night, the difference between downtown Singapore and forests in Lim Chu Kang can exceed 7 deg C.
One of most severe impacts of climate change in Singapore will be the increase in sea level. The average sea level around Singapore's coasts has risen steadily at a rate of between 1.2mm and 1.7mm per year, and is projected to increase to about 1m by 2100.
Singapore carbon tax of $5 per tonne of GHG emissions implemented this year will encourage more efficient use of non-renewable energy. The carbon tax revenues will also be used for renewable energy innovations and transformation of emission-intensive local industries.
