Posted by
whoyg773 on Monday, November 09, 2009 8:08:52 PM
As a result, “anything which affects the industry has a
big spin-off effect on the economy,” he said, pointing to the 2001
outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom where the akoya pearl “biggest hit came from the reduction in tourism revenues.”
Developing countries, Mr. Lipman underscored, are often “unspoiled
and undeveloped,” pointing the way towards a new form of ‘green’
tourism.
The industry accounts for 5 per cent of global annual greenhouse
gas emissions, most of which can be pinned on air, car, rail and other
forms of transportation.
Air transport, in particular, has freshwater pearl
been targeted for its emissions, but, like other sectors, it has the
potential to become more sustainable through implementation of more
efficient engines and experimenting with biofuels, among others, Mr.
Lipman said.
“You can’t walk to the Maldives,” he said. “We want more planes flying, not less.”
The solution, Mr. Lipman cultured pearl jewelry
stressed, does not lie in curtailing long-haul flights which could hurt
the economies of developing nations which rely heavily on tourism for
income.