Hawaiian Environmental Concerns

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Since moving to Hawaii approximately two months ago, one might assume that this would be the perfect place to study varying environmental influences and their impacts. Hawaii is one of the most inaccessible, yet populous places within the United States. Tourism is a main reason why so many people come to the islands. Tourism is the primary source of revenue for the Hawaiian economy. Normally when one thinks of Hawaii, they think of vacation spots and tourist destinations.
One of the key elements of tourism is the quality of the environment, both natural and man-made. Tourism however, can have a negative effect on the environment due to people not caring for the environment because it is not an area where they normally reside, so they do not consider what long-term effects that their temporary actions may have. Tourism that is not regulated or controlled can lead to negative environmental impacts on air, water, soil, vegetation, and wildlife quality and sustainability.
One of the major facets of tourism is transportation. The ability for people and equipment to be able to move from one place to another smoothly is not only a convenience but a necessity. Air transportation is one of the largest and fastest growing industries associated with tourism. From passenger travel to food and supply transport there are seemingly ever increasing numbers of flights occurring to help meet the demand. With the increase in flights, comes the increase of pollutants into the air, water, and soil. These emissions, as well as those from the electricity production are linked to acid rain, chemical pollution and global warming. These pollutants have effects not only in populated cities, but also in isolated natural environments as well. S...

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