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For those of you out there who feel as though you’re the only ones confronting the pressures of global climate change (It’s not exactly easy getting used to those 110 degree heat bicycle rides just to save gas money, is it?), rest assured that you are not alone. Both the National Geographic Society (NGS) and the group of eight major industrialized countries known as the “G-8” are feeling it, too. This week, each has made major breakthroughs both in acknowledging the true impact of our human footprint, and taking steps to reduce it.

On Tuesday, NGS president and CEO John Fahey, along with representatives from five U.S. agencies, signed an agreement enacting new methods for promoting “Geotourism.”

“What the heck is Geotourism?” you may be wondering. Basically, it’s fancy terminology for tourism that tries to sustain or improve the geographical character of a place, including its unique environment and culture.

 Fahey put it best when he said, "Tourism in recent decades has exploded to become one of the most pervasive industries on Earth. By this collaborative, sensitive approach to tourism, the destructive pitfalls of mass tourism can be avoided in our country's great outdoors. Today's signing is a tremendous step forward for geotourism and sustainable tourism in the United States." Read more about the agreement in this press release.

Also on Tuesday, leaders at the 2008 G-8 Summit in Toyako, Japan, announced an agreement to cut carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2050. Prior to the summit, all members had agreed only to consider such a proposal.

To some, this may seem insignificant as agreements made by the G-8 are non-binding. But most believe that such commitments are at least indirectly binding because they garner so much publicity. Think about it: If six out of eight of the member nations cut their emissions in half by the 2050 and two do not, those two are going to receive a lot of pressure and criticism from the international community.

G8 Leaders take a break from meetings to "walk and talk"

Image courtesy of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

If you are interested in reading more about the summit’s climate issue discussions, click here. If, like me, you’d like to find out more about the G-8 in general, check out this really useful FAQ.

Jeremy for My Wonderful World

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