1. The Amazon Rainforest
Nicknamed the “Earth’s Lungs”, millions of years old and home to over a third of Earth’s plant and animal species – and some of the world’s last uncontacted tribes – this vast forest is under serious threat from deforestation. Over the last forty years, around 40 percent of the Amazon has been destroyed, primarily for mining, industrial agriculture and illegal logging.
2. Olympia, Greece
Olympia was the site of the first ever Olympic Games, in 776 BC. The ancient city of Olympia has been inhabited since prehistoric times and is one of Greece’s top archaeological sites. In recent years, hot and dry summers have led to rampant wildfires that have scorched surrounding areas and encroached worryingly close to the ruins. With rising temperatures and lower rainfall in the area, ancient history buffs would be wise to visit sooner rather than later.
3. Glacier National Park, Montana
Montana’s Glacier National Park, with 700 miles of hiking trails spanning alpine meadows and beautiful lakes, is a favourite among outdoor types, be they local or visitors. However, this rugged national park may soon have to be renamed, because of the dwindling number of glaciers. Of the 150 that existed in the park 100 years ago, only 25 remain today. Scientists have given the surviving glaciers a lifespan of just 15 years if the planet continues to warm at its current rate.
4. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Having evolved in isolation from the rest of the world, the Galápagos archipelago offers an overwhelming variety of flora and fauna, ranging from giant tortoises to the flightless cormorant. Unfortunately, change is afoot on these once-secluded islands. With a swelling population, four busy airports and a regular influx of cruise passengers, the inevitable human wear-and-tear of the Gálapagos is well and truly underway, prompting debate about the ethics of visiting the islands.
5. Congo Basin, Congo
The Congo Basin is one of the most biodiverse area on Earth, with its savannas, swamps and forests home to gorillas, elephants and buffalo. It’s also one of the most important and yet vulnerable areas on the planet, spanning six countries and producing nearly half of the world’s oxygen. Threatened by deforestation, mining and the illegal wildlife trade, environmentalists worry that a significant proportion of the forest’s plants and animals could disappear by 2040.
6. Venice
The ‘Floating City’ may soon be floating no longer. Venice has been sinking on its wooden foundations, subsiding around 120mm during the twentieth century. It’s also under threat from rising sea levels (approximately 110mm over the same period). There is a project underway to install a system of mobile floodgates but many experts doubt that these defences will be enough to save the city.
7. The Sundarbans, India & Bangladesh
The Sundarbans (“beautiful forests”) are home to a wealth of threatened species, from the tree-climbing mudskipper fish to the world’s last population of mangrove-dwelling tigers. Located on the border of India and Bangladesh, this World Heritage Biosphere is under increasing threat from harmful sewage, industrial pollution and heavy deforestation for timber in the area.
8. The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Immortalised in Ernest Hemingway’s 1936 story The Snows of Kilimanjaro, the snowcapped summit of Africa’s highest mountain is one of the most vivid examples of global warming in action. Scientists have found that 85 percent of the ice that covered the mountain in 1912 has now melted, and more than a quarter of the ice present in 2000 is no longer there. Some predict that Tanzania’s legendary glaciers could disappear entirely within two decades.
9. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
The Salar de Uyuni are the largest and most entrancing salt flats on the planet. They are also sitting on half of the world’s lithium reserves, which are now being extracted by the Bolivian government in response to the demand for lithium batteries used in mobile phones and electric cars. Sadly, Bolivia’s untouched salt flats may soon become the stuff of legend.
10. Patagonian Ice Fields, Argentina
Comprising the largest body of ice in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica, the Patagonian glaciers are thinning at an average rate of six feet per year. Just three of the glaciers have been expanding in recent years but the remaining 90 percent are shrinking. Now’s as good a time as any to witness southern Argentina’s ice fields before they are lost to the sea.
Continue reading: Part 2
Title Image Credit: GlacierNPS (Image Cropped)