From outer space, the “Pale Blue Dot” shows spots of brown. Spain is suffering an extensive drought that has critically depleted the country’s reservoirs, most critically in its tourist-centric areas: Catalonia, Andalucia, and the Balearic and Canary islands.
Water scarcity has reached unprecedented levels of concern, the likes of which haven't been seen in a century. This crisis has exacerbated the tension between local interests and tourist development in the Canaries, notably Tenerife. the archipelago's largest island and most frequented tourist destination.
Recently, hotel construction resumed activity in two environmentally-rich coastal areas on the island: el Puertito de Adeje and Playa de la Tejita. In response, a group of activists in the collective Canaries Se Agota embarked on a hunger strike. They abandoned the initiative only when their vitals became critical. While the strike is over, the work continues. Tourism makes up 35% of the Canarian market but impedes its local economic and environmental well-being.
Amid the globe’s human-caused changing climate, this reporting project examines if tourism itself is consuming the places it makes accessible.
