Pontifical Council issues message for World Tourism Day 2013: Tourism and Water
(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People has issued
its annual Message for World Tourism Day which will be celebrated on September 27th.
This year’s message is entitled, “Tourism and water: protecting our common future.” Listen
to Tracey McClure's report:
The message
coincides with the U.N. sponsored “International Year of Cooperation for Water and
the International Decade “Water, source of Life” (2005-2015) and recalls that tourism
is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in the global economy. Just last
year, more than one billion people travelled internationally.
And water is
a crucial asset in tourism: just think of the beaches, lakes, rivers and spas we enjoy
visiting during holidays. But the travel industry and tourists themselves are morally
obligated to remember that water is becoming a scarce resource. “One in three people
live in a country with moderate to high water shortages and it is possible that by
2030 the shortage will affect almost half of the world’s population since its demand
may exceed the supply by 40%” the message reads. U.N. data tell us that one billion
people have no access to drinking water.
It is often noted that in tourism
structures, water is plentiful but wasted – while it is hard to find in the local
communities nearby.
Just as Pope Francis has called us to be “stewards of creation,”
we are compelled to find sustainable means of management of this natural resource:
“a challenge for the social, economic and environmental order.” “While we must work
to fix the damage already done, we should also encourage its rational use and minimize
the impact by promoting appropriate policies” to help protect our common future.
Politicians and entrepreneurs should put eco-friendly words into practice,
and make “binding, specific, and verifiable commitments.” A change of mentality and
a more “sober and self-disciplined lifestyle” are needed. Tourists should be aware
of and reflect on the impact of their trip. “They must be convinced that not everything
is allowed” and understand that water should not be wasted or polluted.
********************************************************************************************************** Below,
we publish the English translation of the Message signed by Cardinal Antonio Vegliò,
President of the Council, and Bishop Joseph Kalathiparambil, Secretary (Full Text): On
September 27, we will celebrate World Tourism Day, following the theme suggested for
this year by the World Tourism Organization: “Tourism and water: protecting our common
future”. This is in line with the “International Year of Cooperation for Water”, that
was proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations, during the International
Decade for Action “Water, source of life” (2005-2015), in order to highlight “that
water is critical for sustainable development, especially for environmental integrity
and eradication of poverty and hunger, it is essential for the health and well-being
of human beings, and is fundamental to achieve the Millennium Development Goals”.
The
Holy See also wishes to join in this commemoration, bringing its contribution from
its own perspective, aware of the importance of the phenomenon of tourism at the present
time and the challenges and opportunities it provides to our mission of evangelization.
This is one of the economic sectors with the largest and fastest growth in the world.
We must not forget that last year it was exceeded the milestone of one billion international
tourists, to which we must add the even higher figures of local tourism.
In
the tourism sector, water is of crucial importance, an asset and a resource. It is
an asset because people feel naturally drawn to it, and there are millions of tourists
seeking to enjoy this natural element during their days off, by choosing as their
holiday destination some ecosystems where water is the most specific element (wetlands,
beaches, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, islands, glaciers or snowfields, just to name
a few), or trying to grasp its many benefits (especially in seaside resorts or spas).
At the same time, water is also a resource for the tourism industry and it is essential,
among other things, to hotels, restaurants and leisure activities.
Looking
at the future, tourism will be a real benefit if it will be able to manage these resources
according to the criteria of the “green economy”, an economy whose environmental impact
is kept within acceptable limits. We are invited, therefore, to promote ecotourism,
environmentally friendly and sustainable, that can surely promote the creation of
new jobs, support the local economy and reduce poverty.
There is no doubt that
tourism plays a fundamental role in preserving the environment, by being one of its
great ally, but also a fierce enemy. If, for instance, in order to achieve a quick
and easy economic profit, the tourism industry is allowed to pollute a place, this
location will cease to be a popular destination for tourists.
We know that
water, key to sustainable development, is an essential element for life. Without water
there is no life. “However, year after year the pressure on this resource increases.
One out of three people live in a country with moderate to high-water shortages, and
it is possible that by 2030 the shortage will affect almost half of the world’s population,
since its demand may exceed the supply by 40%”. According to UN data, about one billion
people have no access to drinking water. And the challenges related to this issue
will increase significantly in the coming years, mainly because it is poorly distributed,
polluted and wasted, or priority is given to certain incorrect or unjust uses, in
addition to the consequences of climate change. Tourism also is often times in competition
with other sectors for the usage of water, and not infrequently it is noted that water
is abundant and is wasted in tourism structures, while for the surrounding populations
it is scarce.
The sustainable management of this natural resource is a challenge
for the social, economic and environmental order, but especially because of the ethical
nature, starting from the principle of the universal destination of the goods of the
earth, which is a natural and original right, to which it must be submitted all the
legislation relating to those goods. The Social Doctrine of the Church highlights
the validity and application of this principle, with explicit references to water.
Indeed,
our commitment to preserving creation stems from recognizing it as God’s gift to the
whole human family, and from hearing the Creator’s calling, who invites us to preserve
it, aware of being the stewards, not owners, of the gift He gives us.
Concern
for the environment is an important topic for Pope Francis, who has already made many
references to it. In the very mass of the inauguration of his Petrine ministry he
invited us to be “stewards of creation, of God’s plan written in nature, the guardians
of the other, of the environment; let us not allow - he said - that signs of destruction
and death accompany our journey in this world”, reminding that “everything is entrusted
to the custody of man, and it is everyone’s responsibility”.
Stressing even
more this calling, the Holy Father stated during a General Audience: “Cultivating
and preserving creation is a directive of God given not only at the beginning of history,
but to each one of us; it is part of his plan; it means allowing the world to grow
responsibly, transforming it to be a garden, a living place for all [...]. Instead
we are often driven by pride of domination, of possession, manipulation, exploitation;
we do not “preserve” it, do not respect it, do not consider it as a free gift to care
for. We are losing the attitude of wonder, contemplation, listening to creation”.
If
we foster this attitude of listening, we can discover how water speaks to us also
of his Creator and reminds us of his story of love for humanity. Regarding this, it
is eloquent the prayer for the blessing of water, that the Roman liturgy uses both
at the Easter Vigil and in the Ritual of baptism, where it is recalled that the Lord
used this gift as a sign and remembrance of his goodness: Creation, the flood that
puts an end to sin, the crossing of the Red Sea that delivers from slavery, the baptism
of Jesus in the Jordan, the washing of the feet that turns into the precept of love,
the water pouring out of the side of Christ Crucified, the command of the Risen Lord
to make disciples and baptize them ... are milestones in the history of Salvation,
in which water takes on a high symbolic value.
Water speaks of life, purification,
regeneration and transcendence. In the liturgy, water manifests the life of God shared
with us in Christ. Jesus himself presents himself as the one who quenches our thirst,
from whose breast rivers of living water shall flow (cfr. Jn 7:38), and in his dialogue
with the Samaritan woman he says: “whoever drinks of the water that I will give will
never thirst” (Jn 4:14). Thirst evokes the deepest yearnings of the human heart, his
failures and his quest for authentic happiness beyond himself. And Christ is the one
who gives the water that quenches the thirst within, he is the source of rebirth,
the bath that purifies. He is the source of living water.
For this reason,
it is necessary to reiterate that all those involved in the phenomenon of tourism
have a big responsibility for water management, in order for this sector to be effectively
a source of wealth at a social, ecological, cultural and economic level. While we
must work to fix the damage already done, we should also encourage its rational use
and minimize the impact by promoting appropriate policies and providing effective
ways, aiming at protecting our common future. Our attitude towards nature and the
mismanagement of its resources cannot burden others as well as future generations.
Therefore
more determination from politicians and entrepreneurs is necessary, because, although
all are aware of the challenges made by the issue of water, we are conscious that
this willingness should be put into practice with binding, specific and verifiable
commitments.
This situation requires above all a change of mentality leading
to adopt a different lifestyle marked by sobriety and self-discipline. We must ensure
that tourists are aware and reflect on their responsibilities and the impact of their
trip. They must be convinced that not everything is allowed, although they personally
carry the economic burden. We need to educate and encourage the small gestures allowing
us not to waste or pollute the water and, at the same time, help us appreciate even
more its importance.
We share the Holy Father’s concern to take “all the serious
commitment to respect and preserve creation, to be responsible for every person, to
oppose the culture of waste, to promote a culture of solidarity and encounter”.
With
St. Francis, the “Little Poor” of Assisi, we raise our hymn to God, praising him for
his creatures: “Praised be to you, my Lord, for sister Water, which is very useful
and humble and precious and pure”. Vatican City, 24 June 2013