Just 1.5 metres above sea level on average and with the seasonal flooding patterns, the region will be particularly susceptible to rising temperatures, he warned.

Our grandchildren will freeze or fry

Prof. Lipman added that it was imperative to control carbon within the next five years and then work towards a “no carbon era” by 2050, otherwise “our grandchildren will freeze or fry”.

Urging the Mekong region to take the lead in mobilizing the travel industry, he said that the International Year of Sustainable Tourism Development in 2017 would be an ideal launching pad for such an initiative.

Speaking on authenticity, the theme of the MTF 2016, Prof. Lipman said that “there is authenticity in every community” but this needed to be preserved and protected by focusing on quality over quantity.

The aviation industry which had facilitated the growth of global tourism would in the future come under the scanner for its contribution to climate change. This would affect not only the travel industry but many others as well, Prof. Lipman observed.

Source by Mekongtourism.org
Photos by Oh! Magazine