For many people, beaches are synonymous with the summer holiday season. Beach holidays have been popular since the second half of the 19th century, and are the archetypal form of mass tourism. With millions of people indulging in such getaways each year, it goes without saying that there’s a significant environmental impact. We regularly get riled when seeing pictures of beaches covered in plastic bottles, or turtles choking on straws. Around 10 million tonnes of waste end up in the ocean each year, with tourism hotspots creating 26% more than other cities. 

Are you saying my new eco-friendly lifestyle isn’t compatible with a beach holiday?

A beach holiday can still be compatible with a beach holiday, but only if you pay close attention to a few factors. To simplify things, you can see whether the beach carries the Blue Flag eco-label, which rewards resorts for meeting certain criteria. For example, a beach must have good quality water, be accessible and offer waste sorting. There should also be educational material on display for visitors to learn about environmental issues.

Wait a minute, should we stop using sunscreen then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast: July 29th, 2020

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