Climate Change in Greenland Boosts Tourism

Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. coverage (n.) [kuhv-er-ij, kuhv-rij] – (in Journalism) the act of reporting news  through newspapers, television, or any other form of media

Example: The TV station’s coverage of the disaster helped raise donations for the flood victims.

                                                                                           

2. climate change (n.) [klahy-mit][cheynj] – a lasting change in the earth's weather patterns

Example: The increasing strength of typhoons over the years is believed to be due to climate change.

3. attraction (n.) [uh-trak-shuhn] – an interesting activity, place or thing that people want to see or experience

Example: Beach resorts are popular attractions in the Philippines.

4. agenda (n.) [uh-jen-duh] – a list of things to do or consider

Example: The president’s agenda includes discussions about improving the economy through tourism.

5. cup of tea (idiom) [kuhp][uhv, ov][tee] – something one enjoys or does well

Example: As a lover of the arts, attending the opera is her cup of tea.

Article
Read the text below.

Media coverage of climate change has brought much attention to Greenland recently, as temperatures rise and ice melts in the country. But despite the situation, the same attention is also attracting more tourists. Greenland gets about 30,000 cruise visitors a year, four times the number of cruise visitors it had ten years ago. This is a lot for a country where the local population in 2011 totaled 56,615.  Over 80% of Greenland is covered in ice. But the country’s ice caps and glaciers are melting faster than expected.   The issue of climate change is even part of Greenland Tourism and Business Council’s agenda. GTBC, however, assures visitors that there is still plenty of ice to see, though its amount is certainly declining.  But while Greenland’s tourism industry has benefited from the increase in media attention, Anders la Cour Vahl of GTBC says the country’s tourism industry is still small, and more people must be encouraged to visit. Greenland’s major tourist attractions are ice and wildlife such as polar bears and whales, but these attractions, as well as the cold weather, may not be everyone’s cup of tea. On the other hand, Keya Chatterjee of the World Wildlife Fund says there is no certainty as to what may happen to the ice in the future. She believes Greenland and other areas facing the impact of climate change have to plan ahead. Local economies that depend on tourism have to start creating other attractions and developing different sources of income.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A 

·         How do you think your local environment or community has been affected by climate change?

·         Do you think that people should be worried by the effects of climate change? Why or why not?

Discussion B

·         Would you like to try visiting Greenland or a country with a lot of ice?  Please explain further.

If you were to travel, what kind of attractions would you like to see or do?

この記事が気に入りましたか？