Navigating the Ethical Challenges of Climate Change and Tourism in the Bahamas

Abstract

[University] BIOETHICS 475 The Bahamas is known for its low-lying cays, coral reefs, mangrove and sandy beaches. Those same coastal features are central to both the islands’ identity and economy, which creates an ethical tension when environmental realities among them climate change and mass tourism which threaten the ecosystems that Bahamians depend on. This paper talks about two major ethical challenges in the Bahamian: (1) the moral and practical obligations posed by climate change and rising seas, and (2) the persistent clash between a tourism-driven development and long-term conservation. It is argued that ethical stewardship in the Bahamas must balance urgent human needs and economic livelihoods with intergenerational obligations that work together to preserve natural systems that provide storm protection, food, and cultural value for our Bahamian society. Climate change and rising seas are threats for the Bahamas; they are immediate, measurable, and distributive in their impacts depending on how the weather is and what damages may be done. Roughly 80% of the country lies within sea level, concentrating on people and infrastructure. It is said to be confirmed that small islands like The Bahamas is exposed to escalating risks from sea-level rise, more intense storms, and major coastal hazards, which are conditions that amplify questions of justice because the Bahamas has contributed very little to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause the problem. Those ethical questions include who should bear the costs of adaptation, what kinds of relocation or accommodation are permissible, and how to compensate communities for cultural and ecological losses that are not easily valued in dollars. Since habitats like mangroves and coral reefs provide natural defenses which aid in wave energy and stabilizing shorelines, that are known to conserve and restore these systems are both an ethical imperative and a pragmatic adaptation strategy. Efforts have been...