Given the gravity of the situation we're in, Hawai'i's tax increase actually seems fairly tame. Also, I appreciate the delineation between "visitor" and "tourist" in the second half of this piece. The former is clearly the more ethically sound of the two.
All cruise ships, especially the large ones should be taxed heavily. They pollute, waste food and treat staff unfairly. Would love a future story on that.
Key West banned cruise ships if memory serves because of the horrific environmental damage they were causing to the local ecosystem while the cruise ship corporations are building ever larger monstruous ships because destroying ecologies and genociding indigenous people is what "western" crapitalism does best.
It's too bad that Hawaii can't be given back to the indigenous peoples. The white Americans stole it in the first place. Until that happens, I think this is a step in the right direction. Make the tourists pay more for their fancy vacations. I think this should be implemented everywhere. Then maybe some of these idiots would stop taking advantage of their hosts so much.
The ferocity of the fossil fuel industry lobby in directing immediate objections to such efforts emphasizes the need for taxing carbon, reducing subsidies and discouraging investments in fossil fuel expansion projects. The endless profit machine relies on the fossil fuel industry to increase the wealth of the owners without limit. To suggest reasonable efforts to protect the web of life is like asking e coli to restrain itself in a person with sepsis. The planet has a fever and it's time for our economy to administer climate anticarbonotics with a health dose of climate probiotics to heal the planet so it can function like it is supposed to once again.
This is awesome and does make me think if there’s any way to check sustainability measures in tourist destinations before going. Personally I would rather travel in a way where I know I can come back and it helps the community and the (local) environment than the opposite. Tourist destinations should feel secure in taking care of their environment knowing that implementing these programs can help select for better visitors too
It always comes back to the fossil fuel industry doesn't it? And the tourism industry...too many flights...too many resorts...too many cruise....I'm not sure how we can curtail that. And there is the NIMBY (sort of...) aspect...people don't treat places they visit with respect...and that makes it difficult to keep paces safe from all this damage. I see this all the time in the Adirondacks and NYC. Excellent article!
Cool that this new tax is in place and specifically is there to help the issues mentioned and I'm not surprised other vulnerable tourist locations have already had taxes like these in place.
"I have friends who used to be all about climate who literally call it a hoax now,” he said. “It’s like the Elon Musk effect—they say they care about the environment, but don’t believe that pollution is hurting the climate anymore.”"
Ok honestly what the hell is happening? This coupled with the information a bit ago about how young women considered climate a top priority at a 2 to 1 ratio to young men is extremely worrying. Is it really all Elon Musk because from because from my experience during the first Trump term, the climate movement in fact gained a lot of momentum but now it seems like treading water almost.
Given the gravity of the situation we're in, Hawai'i's tax increase actually seems fairly tame. Also, I appreciate the delineation between "visitor" and "tourist" in the second half of this piece. The former is clearly the more ethically sound of the two.
All cruise ships, especially the large ones should be taxed heavily. They pollute, waste food and treat staff unfairly. Would love a future story on that.
Key West banned cruise ships if memory serves because of the horrific environmental damage they were causing to the local ecosystem while the cruise ship corporations are building ever larger monstruous ships because destroying ecologies and genociding indigenous people is what "western" crapitalism does best.
It's too bad that Hawaii can't be given back to the indigenous peoples. The white Americans stole it in the first place. Until that happens, I think this is a step in the right direction. Make the tourists pay more for their fancy vacations. I think this should be implemented everywhere. Then maybe some of these idiots would stop taking advantage of their hosts so much.
The ferocity of the fossil fuel industry lobby in directing immediate objections to such efforts emphasizes the need for taxing carbon, reducing subsidies and discouraging investments in fossil fuel expansion projects. The endless profit machine relies on the fossil fuel industry to increase the wealth of the owners without limit. To suggest reasonable efforts to protect the web of life is like asking e coli to restrain itself in a person with sepsis. The planet has a fever and it's time for our economy to administer climate anticarbonotics with a health dose of climate probiotics to heal the planet so it can function like it is supposed to once again.
This is awesome and does make me think if there’s any way to check sustainability measures in tourist destinations before going. Personally I would rather travel in a way where I know I can come back and it helps the community and the (local) environment than the opposite. Tourist destinations should feel secure in taking care of their environment knowing that implementing these programs can help select for better visitors too
It always comes back to the fossil fuel industry doesn't it? And the tourism industry...too many flights...too many resorts...too many cruise....I'm not sure how we can curtail that. And there is the NIMBY (sort of...) aspect...people don't treat places they visit with respect...and that makes it difficult to keep paces safe from all this damage. I see this all the time in the Adirondacks and NYC. Excellent article!
Cool that this new tax is in place and specifically is there to help the issues mentioned and I'm not surprised other vulnerable tourist locations have already had taxes like these in place.
"I have friends who used to be all about climate who literally call it a hoax now,” he said. “It’s like the Elon Musk effect—they say they care about the environment, but don’t believe that pollution is hurting the climate anymore.”"
Ok honestly what the hell is happening? This coupled with the information a bit ago about how young women considered climate a top priority at a 2 to 1 ratio to young men is extremely worrying. Is it really all Elon Musk because from because from my experience during the first Trump term, the climate movement in fact gained a lot of momentum but now it seems like treading water almost.