Market logic justifies that what is only within reach of a few generally increases its value. This dynamic that sets the price of goods and services also infiltrates human behaviors, which end up conditioning decision-making. But what happens when what is at stake is an element on which the daily lives of citizens depend? The tension between the desire to collect travel experiences and to ensure the lives of the population of a vulnerable territory is what highlights the dynamics of tourism in the midst of an ecological crisis.Already in 2007, the award-winning editor-in-chief of the digital publication Travel Age West, Kenneth Shapiro, gave a name to a tourism phenomenon that was then beginning to proliferate: last-chance tourism. At that time, the concept referred to trips to areas threatened by environmental changes, such as the imminent threat of a volcano eruption or an expedition to observe an endangered species, among others. Over the years and with scientific evidence that the ecological crisis affects every corner of the planet, this word used in the jargon of travel agencies and nomadic gurus has undergone some nuance. Now, last-chance tourism is also the experience of visiting destinations that are at risk of disappearing or radically changing in the coming years due to damage caused by human pressure. Examples include visiting Australia's Great Barrier Reef, due to ocean acidification and rising water temperatures; or the Maldives islands, due to rising sea levels.Living between the thaw and the AMOC

But there is no need to change continents to observe the loss of ecosystems in areas where tourism plays a significant role. “In Iceland, the most evident change at first glance caused by the climate crisis is the retreat of glaciers. It is something that can be perceived even when comparing photographs taken just a few days or weeks apart,” explains Catalan photographer Natàlia Antequera, who lived in this Nordic country from 2021 to 2024. The Arctic is the region in the world suffering the highest temperature increase and, as a result, causes Iceland to lose 10 billion tons of ice per year, according to NASA data.At this rate, the European island could run out of ice by the year 2200. In nature's balance, every element plays its part, and melting is not only a sign of collapse in itself, but also a trigger. Specifically, in recent years, Nordic countries have been suffering from the stoppage of the AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation), the part of the thermohaline circulation that passes by the Icelandic coasts and plays a key role in regulating the climate in the Northern Hemisphere. This danger prompted the island's government to declare the AMOC a national threat last November, becoming the first European state to take this stance.

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Around Deltebre, the rice fields create a mosaic of water and mud. The river meanders between canals and banks, and the Delta's light floods everything with a metallic sheen. It is in one of these wetlands that a unique rice variety is born: the only long-grain, aromatic rice cultivated in the Ebro Delta, known as Essència del Delta. It is grown, managed, and marketed by the Women Rice Growers of the Ebro Delta, a cooperative of five women who have made the land their livelihood. The result is a fine, fluffy, and versatile rice—perfect for salads, stir-fries, and celebratory rice dishes—but also a product imbued with values: respect for the environment, a deep connection to the land, pride in being women who preserve the craft, and the dedication that rice cultivation entails.

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Today we're going to a unique place in Catalonia, because it's located in the middle of the sea. You might be wondering what we're doing and how we got there. Just wait and see. First, we need to know that this is where knowledge comes together, as you'll learn about aquaculture, the privilege of enjoying the natural treasure that is the Ebro Delta, and, in addition, you can eat oysters, mussels, and sip a glass of good bubbles. If you've been there, you'll have already guessed we're talking about the MusclariumThis structure is located on the sea, in the Bay of Alfacs, and you must take a boat from Sant Carles de la Ràpita to get there. There are sea taxis that take you there perfectly, but if you take one of the bookable experiences, transportation is already included. Alternatively, you may have your own boat, in which case you can go on your own.

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Deltebre Danza is the fruit of an unconscious mindset. We were younger, we had enthusiasm, and above all, we were crazy. Around 800 artists, almost 300 shows, 100,000 spectators, 2,500 dance students, and a hundred teachers. The citizens of Deltebre have finally embraced it," explains Tortosa dancer and choreographer Roberto Olivan, director of the festival.

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Adding the blue crab to rice, fish broths and other culinary recipes has helped combat the plague that threatens the ecosystems in the Ebro Delta. The years-long war against this crustacean fishermen have been waging may have found a new ally. Tests carried out by researchers at the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroaliamentàries (IRTA) have shown that octopuses are natural predators of the blue crab, which they are capable of eating in large quantities if necessary: "A single octopus can eat up to 33% of its weight in crab meat in a single day", explains project coordinator Patrícia Prado.

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If there is somewhere close where we can already see the effects of the climate crisis it is the Ebro delta. It is like watching the sea level rise at an accelerated rate, not because the water is rising more than in other coastal areas, but because, in parallel, the Delta is sinking (due to the phenomenon known as subsidence) and the coastline is retreating due to the lack of sediments that reach it. "In the Delta we are experiencing what our beaches will suffer in 2050 or 2070, and this makes it an excellent natural laboratory in which to test solutions," explains UPC professor and director of the Maritime Engineering Laboratory, Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla.

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