Croatian tourism sector's adjustment to climate change

The modern world is characterized by various forms of social, economic, political and natural changes on a global scale. Among them, climate change poses a unique challenge to the entire human civilization and affects all aspects of human life, including tourism. Therefore, both people and the environment need to adapt to new conditions, a process that means accepting the fact that climate change is already happening. The earth has warmed by 0.7 °C since 1900. Even if all emissions were to stop today, the Earth would continue to warm by a further 0.5 °C to 1 °C over the next decade (Stern, 2006). Furthermore, adaptation will appear as a response to specific climatic events within the context of other socio-economic changes. The first step in adapting to climate change is bringing about a change in behaviour, while the second step includes preparing for climate change, by using flood resistant irrigation systems, developing sea defence systems in coastal areas, developing health care and methods to address new types of diseases, and implementing other measures.