The eco‐island trap

Climate change mitigation and conspicuous sustainability

Bibliographic Data

ID8360812
AuthorsAdam Grydehøj (0000-0002-9149-9497, University of Prince Edward Island, corresponding author), I Kelman (0000-0002-4191-6969, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs)
Year2017
Volume49
Issue1
Pages106-113
Publication date2017-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArea (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0004-0894 • E-ISSN: 1475-4762
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/area.12300
OpenAlexW2543815551
LanguageEN
Citations received63
References cited25

Small islands worldwide are increasingly turning to conspicuous sustainability as a development strategy. Island spatiality encourages renewable energy and sustainability initiatives that emphasise iconicity and are undertaken in order to gain competitive advantage, strengthen sustainable tourism or ecotourism, claim undue credit, distract from failures of governance or obviate the need for more comprehensive policy action. Without necessarily contributing significantly to climate change mitigation, the pursuit of eco‐island status can raise costs without raising income, distract from more pressing social and environmental problems, lead to competitive sustainability and provide green cover behind which communities can maintain unsustainable practices. We argue that eco‐islands do not successfully encourage wider sustainable development and climate change mitigation. Instead, island communities may place themselves in eco‐island traps. Islands may invest in inefficient or ineffective renewable energy and sustainability initiatives in order to maintain illusory eco‐island status for the benefit of ecotourism, thereby becoming trapped by the eco‐label. Islands may also chase the diminishing returns of ever‐more comprehensive and difficult to achieve sustainability, becoming trapped into serving as eco‐island exemplars. We conclude by arguing that island communities should pursue locally contextualised development, potentially focused on climate change adaptation, rather than focus on an eco‐island status that is oriented toward place branding and ecotourism

Business · Climate change · Economics · Ecotourism · Environmental planning · Environmental resource management · Geography · Natural resource economics · Political science · Social sustainability · Sustainability · Sustainable development · Tourism · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Ecology · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses

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