Could Climate Change Affect Your Travel plans?

Baby, it’s getting cold outside, and people are making vacation plans to get away & feel some relief from those wintertime blues.

Planning a trip in the near future?  Unfortunately, climate change is placing many travel hot

spots in danger.   Here’s some travel destinations that could be affected:

• Venice, Italy – Just last year, the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO cautioned that Venice is in danger from rising sea levels, resulting from climate change.  Last week, over 5 feet of water flooded the underwater city.  Additionally, salt water is eating away at the buildings.  To combat these problems, the city is building a gate system, a project nicknamed “Moses” to be completed by 2011.
• London, England – London’s famous monuments such as Palace of Warminister & Tower of London survived World War II (and my flatmates and I inhabiting the country for 5 1/2 months) but climate change could cause the Thames River to rise and flood the city.  With these tourist sites like these on the water, future generations may not see them in their original form.
• Glacier National Park, Montana – Since 1850, 2/3 of the 150 glaciers in the park have dissapeared.  Estimates indicate they could all vanish by 2030.
• Taj Mahal, India – Pollution  staining the Taj Mahal’s white marble mausoleum has now yellowed.  Air pollutants sulphur dioxide & nitrous oxide gases have been recorded at high levels, although local officials are trying to turn this around.
• Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania – The highest peak of Africa has seen 80% of ice caps volume drop.  The glaciers on top of this mountain could be gone in 2 decades, along with tourism.
• Great Barrier Reef, Australia – Planning on diving into the largest reef on the planet?  This beauty is facing threats from tourism, agricultural runoff, and warming seas.  Global warming’s rising tempatures is already causing dead coral & ‘bleaching’ of the reef.  95% of coral could be lost if

  

  ocean temps rise just 2.7 degrees F according to the Worldwide Find/Queensland government from 2004.

• Galapagos Islands – Interested in seeing where Darwin’s theory of evolution developed?  Constant tourism, Oil Spills, Development, threaten this island, as well as invasive species danger the natural wildlife.
• Antarctica– Have a larger budget?  Trips to Antarctica are possible but beware – in 2006, 196 Billion tons of ice were lost.  This alone raised sea level by 1/2 millimeter worldwide, as 90% of global ice is on Antarctica.  The more the ice disappears, the easier more ice can break off.
• Everglades, Florida – Want to see the 2.4 million acre marsh?  Rising salt water levels have already eroded peatlands, and can eventually flood the everglades & ruin lands.  Some estimates say that by 2200, rising sea levels could submerge all of South Florida.
• Are you addicted to skiing like I am?  Ski seasons could be shortened in the Rockies or local Appalachians due to erratic climate patterns.

While these places are in definite danger, there’s still hope to avoid these potential disasters.  Every positive step we take in the climate change battle is preventing these beautiful treasures from being ruined.  If we take time to lower our carbon footprint, recycle and make small changes, generations beyond ours can still enjoy these places.

Interested in learning more?  Check out Disappearing Destinations – 37 Places in Peril & What Can Be Done to Save Them  by Kimberly Lisagor & Heather Hansen.

Posted by Julie

array(2) {
  [0]=>
  object(WP_Term)#7980 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(136)
    ["name"]=>
    string(14) "Climate Change"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(14) "climate-change"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(136)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(109)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [1]=>
  object(WP_Term)#7977 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(765)
    ["name"]=>
    string(6) "travel"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(6) "travel"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(769)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(11)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
}

Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher