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This study aims to investigate the potential of the coffee drinking experience as an engagement tool for climate change. Review the current state of the coffee drinking experience, define it and examine links to climate change communication practices. The argument for the coffee drinking experience as a method for engaging the public on climate change is presented.

The case study method was used to analyze a small number of existing research on the coffee drinking experience. This method is used to define the coffee drinking experience and identify examples in which it could be leveraged for engaging consumers in climate change.

The emotive and multi-sensory aspects of the coffee drinking experience, combined with the informal atmosphere of the coffee houses provide a non-threatening environment for discussing complex ideas. This study finds there is scope for further exploration and research on the coffee drinking experience as a tool for public engagement with climate change.

This paper is limited in that it is only an initial exploratory study and has not reached the empirical stage yet. It is further limited to the analysis of secondary data.

Social science in general and experiential marketing specifically has yet to examine the ability of food or drinking experiences as an engagement tool for climate change.

At the core of understanding the practice of marketing sustainable tourism lies an appreciation not only of the evolution of the concept of sustainability, but also of the co-productive process between consumer and producer. This chapter establishes a conceptual overview on sustainable tourism and its alternative terms (ecotourism, responsible tourism, soft tourism, ethical tourism). Its origins stem from the pivotal works of the Brundtland Report. The author considers the complex structures that interact with the tourism industry, such as the social, environmental and economic impacts of tourism in vulnerable or sensitive climates. For example, in Central Thailand, cities such as Bangkok have experienced rapid urbanisation as well as burgeoning tourism. This has resulted in high levels of air pollution from traffic congestion and manufacturing, while escalation in the tourism industry places burdens on waste management systems. Further strains on waste management in both the Eastern and Southern regions, particularly along the coastlines, which suffer from high levels of coastal litter, are attributed to the rising tourism industry – a process other popular destinations have undergone, such as Costa Rica. Examination of cases such as Thailand will elicit further discussion of public awareness of the impacts of the tourism industry in vulnerable climates. Lastly, the chapter will look at cases of demotion or de-marketing of tourism in certain regions in order to limit the number of visitors, such as that of the Blue Mountains National Park in Australia. In addition to the case studies reviewed in this chapter, there is a practice exercise in developing an environmental performance index, based on existing data on country-specific environmental performance.