As the theme I'm working on is 'The Disappearing City', I found this article on 10 places to visit before they vanish. Due to rising sea levels, melting glaciers, climate change and other man-induced factors, the world's most significant places are disappearing before we know it. The Mother Nature Network have produced a guide into the 10 places you must visit before they vanish from the face of the earth:Glacier National Park:
Just slightly more than 100 years ago, there were as many as 150 glaciers strewn throughout Glacier National Park. By 2005, only 27 remained, and those are expected to disappear completely by 2030, if not earlier. Many of the plant and animal species that call the park home require cold water, meaning the ecosystem of the park stands to change dramatically when the glaciers are gone.
Venice, Italy:
A man shows off a sea bass that he caught with his bare hands while standing in St. Mark's Square in Venice during a severe flood in November 2009, when water levels reached 131 centimeters. Venice has long been sinking, but rising sea levels have made the situation more dire. The frequency of floods increases each year, leaving many to wonder how much longer Venice can stay above water.
Great Barrier Reef:
It's so large that it can be seen from space, but the Great Barrier Reef is disappearing at an increased rate because of climate change. Rising ocean temperatures, water pollution, ocean acidification and cyclones continually pummel the reef and have caused mass coral bleaching. What took 8,000 years for nature to build could disappear within our lifetimes.
Saharan Africa:
By some estimates, the Sahara desert in Africa is growing at a rate of 0.5 miles per month. The desert, already the largest desert in the world, could consume all of Northern Africa, altering the environment of a continent.
Maldives:
Maldives is the lowest-lying country in the world, with a maximum natural ground level of 2.3 meters (7 feet, 7 inches), and an average of only 1.5 meters (4 feet, 11 inches) above sea level. If sea levels rise too much, the country would earn an unwanted superlative: the first nation to be engulfed by the ocean because of global warming.
Patagonia:
A land of untouched beauty, South America's Patagonia stands to be dramatically altered by climate change. Many of its glaciers are steadfastly retreating due to rising temperatures and declining precipitation. While this land doesn't stand to disappear entirely, its landscape may soon be altered beyond recognition if global warming persists.
Bangladesh:
Set in the low-lying Ganges–Brahmaputra River Delta, Bangladesh sits in a perfect storm of climactic conditions. About 50 percent of the area would be flooded if the sea level were to rise by 1 meter. Bangladesh also lies at the heart of the monsoon belt. Natural calamities, such as floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes and tidal bores occur here almost every year — with tragic results.
Alaskan tundra:
Global warming heats up the Arctic twice as fast as the rest of the world, meaning Alaska's beautiful northern tundra stands to vanish completely if temperatures continue to rise. As the tundra's permafrost melts, it not only drastically alters the ecosystem but also releases additional carbon, ironically hastening global warming.
South Australia:
Much like the Sahara in Africa, desertification also threatens South Australia. Across the region, fresh water supplies are rapidly drying up. Meanwhile, the parched landscape increases the occurrence of wildfires, threatening agriculture, wildlife and hundreds of Australian homes.
Thoughts: It is sad that many of these iconic and beautiful places are slowly disappearing due to our faults and our yearn for technologies. This guide links strongly to our involvement in cities and the nature that rather improving it, we are letting it vanish in front of our own eyes.
