10 Places to visit whilst you still can!
Galapagos Islands
Estimated
time remaining: Unknown (but not long!)
Due to mass tourism the eco
system of the Galapagos Islands is being destroyed. With tourism increasing at
12% per year, it is impossible to sustain the ecosystem. Over ¾ of the reptiles
and birds on the islands are exclusive to the area, yet they are being killed off by cruise ships
bringing rats, and smugglers bringing other animals to the island. These then compete with the local wildlife for food.
Image from: deeperblue.com
The Maldives
Estimated
time remaining: Less than 100 years
The lowest nation in the world
is the Maldives, which will cease to exist in less than 100 years as it will
have sunk into the ocean. Already, 80% of its islands are only 1m above sea
level. The reasons for this are that they have lost 90% of their protective coral
reefs due to coral bleaching, and because the sea level is rising due to global
warming.
Image from: flyingthenest.tv
The Great
Barrier Reef
Estimated
time remaining: Less than 100 years
The Great Barrier Reef is the
world´s largest coral reef covering an area larger than Holland, Switzerland
and the United Kingdom combined. However, due to rising ocean temperatures
(caused by global warming), water pollution and ocean acidification, this giant
coral reef could dissapear in as little as 100 years, which is crazy
if you compare it to the 8000 years it took to form.
Image from: nationalgeographic.com.au
Venice
Estimated
time remaining: less than 70 years
With the sea levels rising
(due to climate change), Venice is under threat of being submerged by the sea.
Venice has already sunk 9 inches in the past 100 years!
Image from: atlasobscura.com
The Dead Sea
Estimated
time remaining: less than 50 years
Over the last 40 years, the
Dead Sea has shrunk to only 2/3 of its size, and has sunk 50 feet to 1388 ft below sea level, making it the lowest place on earth. The problem is that the
only source of the Dead Sea is the Jordan River, but with people increasingly
using water from the river, only a little of it reaches the Dead Sea.
Image from: breakingnewsisrael.com
The Alps
Estimated
time remaining: 40 years
Due to global warming, the
average temperatures of the Alps have doubled since the 19th
century. Because of this, the Alps are rapidly losing ice, with the alpine
glaciers having already lost 20% of their size since the 1880s.
Image from: wikipedia
Madagascar
Estimated
time remaining: Less than 35 years
Madagascar is the 4th
largest island in the world, and over 80% of its flora and fauna can´t be found
anywhere else on earth. However, due to deforestation, the forest ecosystems
are being destroyed. If we don´t act to stop deforestation now this will not only lead to the destruction of the natural
flora and fauna, but also to the extinction of some of the islands exclusive
inhabitants, including the over 20 different species of lemurs that reside there.
Image from: wikipedia
The Congo
Basin
Estimated
time remaining: Less than 25 years
Much like Madagascar, the
tropical forests in the Congo Basin are being destroyed due to mining,
illegal logging, faming and guerilla warfare. At the current rate of
degradation, 2/3 of the forests will be lost by 2040. This is a terrifying fact
as tropical rainforests provide over 40% of the oxygen in the world.
Image from: northafricapost.com
Glacier
National Park
Estimated
time remaining: Less than 20 years
Due to global warming, it is
predicted that by 2030 the glaciers in Glacier national Park will have melted.
100 years ago it was home to as many as 150 glaciers, and by 2005 that number
had sunk to only 27.
Image from: roadtrippers.com
The Taj Mahal
Estimated
time remaining: 5 years
It may come as a surprise to
learn that in approximately 5 years’ time this well-known Indian landmark may
be closed to the public. This is due to the 3-4 million tourists that it
attracts each year, who cause air pollution which leads to the destruction of its
famous white stones.
SOURCE
OF INFORMATION: http://www.dailyinfographic.com/10-places-to-see-before-theyre-gone-infographic
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