To visit or not to visit the Galapagos

ON November 3, the Irish Examiner reported that the Galapagos Islands, a World heritage site, were considered by experts to be “in serious trouble” due to the level of population and tourism growth.

On January 5, Pól Ó Conghaile recommends a trip to the Galapagos to “turn them green back home”. One can only assume that’s the green of envy, because there’s nothing environmentally green about visiting an area in which the ecology is under threat due to too many human visitors.

Where does the Irish Examiner stand on such issues? Is the environmental page on Mondays merely a way to sell more copies? Are global warming and loss of biodiversity simply newsworthy, or could we actually consider taking responsibility for them, and letting the “trip of a lifetime” take a back seat to the survival of the creatures with which we share this beautiful planet?