A Proposition to Interrogate Limitarianism in Sustainable Tourism for Redistribution and Justice

Abstract This article engages with sustainable tourism as an excessive form of consumption that needs to be further interrogated through “limitarianism,” a philosophy and ethics for an upper limit of wealth. It critically examines the role of sustainable tourism in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) 30 × 30 initiative, which aims to conserve 30 percent of the Earth by 2030. Sustainable tourism is often presented as a financial mechanism for local conservation and cultural preservation that benefits Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs). However, this disregards structural issues, including the wealthy’s contribution to climate change, global biodiversity reduction, and socioeconomic inequalities (including through land dispossessions), while often leading to a further marginalization of IPLCs. To fully address these issues, limitarianism should be interrogated to achieve redistribution and justice.