AbstractsMedical & Health Science

Before learning about the consequences of global warming and the efforts hotels are making to reverse the effects, it is important to get a better understanding of what exactly is the phenomenon that scientists call global warming. According to the EPA (2006), the earth’s climate has changed several times since the beginning of Earth’s existence. The earth is hotter than ever. NASA has reported that the earth’s average surface temperature has risen from 1.2 degrees to 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. They also found that the warmest years have occurred within the last 15 years, with 1998 and 2005 being the hottest years on record (EPA, 2006). With hotels being such a major part of the global economy and serving so many guests, the hospitality industry leaves a huge footprint on the earth. Bohdanowicz, Churie- Kallhauge, and Martinac (2001) reported that the international hospitality industry is the number one employer, accounting for over 200 million jobs. In 2001, there were over 300,000 hotels world wide, and over 11 million guest rooms. Kasim (2006) reported on some of the consequences of increasing the hospitality industry, such as an increase in demand of water and energy supply, increasing problems with waste management, and pollution to water due to energy use and air pollution.