Fernando Valladares Warns About the Risks of Tourism Industrialization in Marbella
Fernando Valladares, a researcher from the Superior Council of Scientific Investigations (CSIC), has spent this week in Marbella. During a talk with students, he warned about the risks of the “industrialization of tourism,” which he believes is “not sustainable over time.” He also stated that we still have time to reverse the consequences of climate change.
About Fernando Valladares
Fernando Valladares holds a doctorate in Biology, leads the Global Ecology and Change group at the National Museum of Natural Sciences of the CSIC, and is an associate professor at the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid. In his latest book, “The Recivilization,” he reflects in accessible language on the future consequences of human actions impacting different ecosystems of our planet and what we can do about it. He is one of the most committed Spanish scientists in the fight against climate change and has been in Marbella this week.
Valladares’ Talk at The American College in Spain
Valladares gave a talk to students at The American College in Spain (ACS), in Puerto Banús. He warned about the risks of the “industrialization of tourism,” which he considers “not sustainable over time.” He explained in his presentation, “Only avocados need 1,700 liters of water; if we don’t have water and a kilo costs 7 euros in the supermarket, we should ask ourselves what’s going on.”
Training Critical Thinking to Combat Climate Change
Valladares pointed to the training of students’ critical thinking skills as key to combating the consequences of climate change from “within the school.” He indicated that the climate change the Earth is experiencing is “still reversible.” He warned that humans “have crossed planetary boundaries” and, as a result, the climate is undergoing drastic changes recorded by scientific studies.
Encouraging Self-Critical Vision to Reverse Climate Change
Valladares believes this situation points to an “end of the cycle of the dominant civilization” and encouraged teachers and students to use this circumstance to train their self-critical vision to reverse everything that “we still have time to change.” He emphasized, “It’s difficult to climb Everest but we know we can do it, even without oxygen.”
Addressing the Spread of Fake News on Climate Change
Valladares pointed to the spread of fake news on social media about the non-existence of climate change. He stated, “We need to teach people to analyze pieces of information. Where they come from, who says them… the critical view in short.” He wanted to draw attention to the fact of “not being paralyzed by fear” and “acting to change course.” He believes this should be done in short, medium, and long-term plans, “starting from school.”
