Clock is ticking! places that will disappear soon

• NeverSayGoodBye

  21 Apr 15, 14:27

  Whether it's the rising sea levels, desertification, torrential monsoons or melting glaciers, climatic change is rapidly altering the landscape of our planet. Here are a few of the world’s most scenic places that could disappear in the next few decades.

  Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System

  The largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere, the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is also a UNSECO world heritage site. The spectacular coastal lagoons, clear water and the intriguing ‘Great Blue Hole’ make it a perfect adventure destination. But in 2009, the UNESCO included it in the ‘danger list’ feeling that there needs to be a stricter control on the abated construction on the site to save it for future.

  

  Cerro Rico, Potosi, Bolivia

  Cerro Rico or the Rich Hill is one of the World Heritage sites. Located in Bolivia’s Potosi city, the mountain was once an important source of silver for the Spanish Empire. However, over 500 years of unabated mining has left the mountain porous and highly unstable. In 2011, the famed peak of the mountain caved in, which left a sinkhole 50 feet across with an uncharted depth. Once called the ‘mountain that eats men', Cerro Rico is dying a slow death.

  

  Christian Ruins of Abu Mena, Egypt

  Another World Heritage Site, the 1,500-year-old town of Abu Mena is now on the verge of disappearing from the world map. Once known for its monastery complex and also as a renowned Christian pilgrimage centre, the ruins are in danger of sinking in the water-saturated soil.

  

  
  

  Athabasca Glacier, Alberta, Canada

  The most-visited glacier in North America, Alberta’s Athabasca Glacier is a part of the Columbia Icefield spanning six square kilometres. But the glacier has been melting for the past 125 years, with its southern edge retreating nearly a mile in that timeframe. Experts believe the glacier is now shrinking at its fastest rate yet and is currently losing anywhere between 6.6 to 9.8 feet a year.

  

   

  The Alps

  One of the most famous skiing regions in the world, the Alps sit at a lower altitude than the Rocky Mountains, which leaves the range more susceptible to climate change. Around three per cent of Alpine glacial ice is lost per year and experts believe that the glaciers could disappear entirely by 2050.

  

  Seychelles

  The epitome of a tropical paradise, the Seychelles is a collection of around 115 islands in the Indian Ocean and home to numerous luxury resorts. However, the islands are in danger due to beach erosion, after already seeing a devastating coral die-off. Some experts believe that in around 50 years, the entire archipelago could be submerged.

  

  
  

  Maldives

  As the lowest-lying country on Earth, with 80 per cent of its islands less than one metre above sea level, the Maldives could sink within the next 100 years.

  

  Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

  Once home to more than 150 glaciers, Montana’s majestic national park now has fewer than 25. Rapid climate change could see that number shrink to zero by 2030, which would not only leave the park without a glacier, but also severely disrupt its ecosystem.

  
• NeverSayGoodBye

  24 Apr 15, 14:23

  

  The Dead Sea

  The ancient and salty Dead Sea is the site of both history and healing. Yet in the last 40 years, the lake has shrunk by a third and sunk 25 metres. Experts believe it could disappear in as little as 50 years, due to neighbouring countries drawing water from the River Jordan

  

  Venice, Italy

  The Italian city, considered as one of the most romantic cities in the world, is facing ruin. The city of canals has long been sinking, but an uptick in the number of increasingly severe floods each year could leave Venice uninhabitable by this century’s end.

  

  Great Barrier Reef, Australia

  The largest coral reef in the world, which covers more than 344,400 square kilometre, has long been an attraction Down Under. Yet increasing environmental challenges have been steadily eroding the structure for years now. From rising ocean temperatures to an influx of pollution, experts estimate that about 60 per cent of the reef may be lost by 2030.

  

  Solomon Islands

  Solomon Islands is a sovereign country consisting of a large cluster of islands. So far, the island has been spared the fate met by many others in the Solomon Islands archipelago, which "are being ravaged by rampant logging," according to Conservation International amphibian expert Robin Moore

  

  Atlantic Forest, South America

  Shown abutting the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte in 2004, the species-rich Atlantic Forest originally spanned 1.35 million square kilometres in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. But due to an expansion of logging and agriculture, the forest is now less than seven per cent its original size, and exists mainly as isolated patches, some less than 24 hectares.

  

  Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa

  They've been around for at least 10,000 years, but Mount Kilimanjaro's glaciers have shrunk by 80 per cent in roughly the past century, according to the UN. The combined impact of global warming and changes in land use have likely contributed to glacial decline. In 2009, scientists predicted that the glaciers will be gone completely by 2022

  

  The Everglades, Florida, USA

  The Everglades has had its share of troubles, from invasive pythons and polluted waters to damaging recreation practices. But the low-lying ecosystem of saw grass and mangroves could be permanently altered if it's inundated with salt water due to the rise in sea level in the coming decades, according to the US National Park Service. Core samples, tide-gauge readings and satellite measurements show that over the past century, the global mean sea level has risen by four to eight inches, according to the US Global Change Research Programme.

  

  Madagascar

  As the fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar is home to some of the richest tropical rainforests and most diverse wildlife, like lemurs and mongoose. However, the dense ecosystem has been continually destroyed by poaching, logging and burning. If actions are not taken to save the island, it is expected that its rainforests and unique inhabitants will vanish in 35 years.

  

  Patagonian Ice Fields, Chile

  As the largest ice fields in the world after those on Antarctica and Greenland, the Patagonian ice fields in Chile are feeling the effects of global warming and receding at a shockingly fast speed. Scientists have found that up to 90 per cent of the mountain glaciers are melting 100 times faster than at any other time in the past three centuries. In just the last five years, dozens of glacier lakes have already virtually disappeared.