“Our Boundless Love for Big Sur May Be Killing It" Article Reflection No. 115 (10/20/2024)

Article: “Our Boundless Love for Big Sur May Be Killing It”

In The New York Times article “Our Boundless Love for Big Sur May Be Killing It,” journalist Lauren Sloss describes the environmental effects of tourism on Big Sur, a popular vacation destination located in California that, according to the article, draws in a number of tourists many times greater than its local population of 1,500. Along with the local economy’s great dependance on tourism, the article suggests, tourism’s disruptions to the day-to-day life of residents as well as the increasing potential of natural disasters like landslides further complicate discussion over what a county should prioritize. 

This article shows how difficult it is to balance the interests of a population when that population wants to preserve the region’s geography while having a stable economy. In my opinion, as of now, I think natural disasters should be a priority. Imagine it: if a horrifying natural disaster occurs, making visits to those spots more dangerous, then wouldn’t visitors be deterred from visiting, eventually undermining the economy? All of these things are tied to each other but I wish people—world leaders especially—realized and prioritized that.