A recent article from phys.org examined whether North Carolina's coastal tourism could decline due to salty tap water.
It cites research from Appalachian State University Economics Professor Dr. John Whitehead, who, along with fellow researchers, used people's willingness to pay for overnight accommodation with low-salinity tap water to assess the impact of rising sea levels on sustainable freshwater supplies and coastal tourism. The article states:
Sea level rise is an ever-pressing concern as climate change melts ice sheets. Coastal flooding is an unfortunate consequence, which can have a devastating impact on the local environment, including an unexpected toll on coastal tourism in North Carolina.
[The researchers] conducted online surveys with more than 430 North Carolina residents who had taken trips to the coast within the preceding three years and posed the question of whether the increasingly salty taste of water in their chosen beach destination would dissuade them from visiting.
[They] estimate that a staggering $232 million could be lost in annual consumer income by 2040 if the low quality of the drinking water continues. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of implementing strategies to help alleviate the degradation of tap water within North Carolina, including new drinking water regulations and technologies.
Read Whitehead's research, Sea-Level Rise, Drinking Water Quality and the Economic Value of Coastal Tourism in North Carolina.
About Faculty Research in the Walker College of Business
The Walker College faculty produce and disseminate extensive research through both academic and professional communities. In the last five years, faculty have published 543 peer reviewed academic journal articles, 160 conference proceedings, and made 533 conference and professional presentations. In total, faculty have produced 1,175 intellectual contributions in the last five years. Approximately 520 intellectual contributions were made in basic or discovery research, 540 in applied or integrative research, and 115 contributions in teaching and learning research. Learn more at business.appstate.edu/research.
About the Department of Economics at Appalachian State University
The Department of Economics in Appalachian State University's Walker College of Business is an intellectually vibrant place for students and faculty. As a research-intensive department committed to student learning, the department offers a wide range of courses that provide critical thinking and problem-solving skills, complemented by student-faculty research collaboration. Our faculty members are engaged in research that contributes locally and globally to energy, environment, development, trade, health, sports, and tourism. The Department of Economics is ranked among the leading U.S. economics departments for research productivity and is particularly strong in environmental and experimental economics. Learn more at economics.appstate.edu.
In the News: Environmental economics research App State, North Carolina's coastal tourism, and salty tap water
John Whitehead