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18 Destinations Impacted By Climate Change

From Key West to the Amazon, these destinations are changing fast. 
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As ice caps melt and wildfires rage, global warming is occurring faster than we could have imagined. In countries affected by climate change, many of the world’s prime travel destinations are at risk of suffering serious consequences: Rising sea levels and more dramatic weather events are endangering major cities, like Venice, with flooding. Increased temperatures are depleting resources that tourism industries depend on, with reduced snowfall in the Alps, and scant harvests in Northern California’s vineyards. Some natural wonders, like the Great Barrier Reef, are facing the prospect of vanishing entirely.

It's possible to responsibly visit most of these destinations and support them with your tourism dollars—but you can also admire such fragile spots from afar, and donate to organizations like the Coalition for Rainforest Nations and Clean Air Task Force that are fighting to preserve and protect them. Either way, developing an awareness of the destinations most at-risk is the first step in becoming an advocate for their protection. Below, 18 countries affected by climate change, and the sights we stand to lose.

This gallery was originally published in September 2016. It has been updated with new information.

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    The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

    Spanning more than 1,400 miles, the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast of Australia is the largest coral reef system in the world. Replete with marine life, it draws millions of snorkelers and scuba divers each year. But rising ocean temperatures have caused coral bleaching—a condition in which the coral turns white and becomes prone to mass die-offs—destroying a vital habitat for marine life. As of 2020, an aerial survey by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation revealed the third mass bleaching in five years, with 60 percent of the reef's living corals dying as a result. 

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    Venice, Italy

    It’s impossible to walk the streets of Venice without being seduced by its anachronistic charm: the Adriatic Sea coursing through its canals, the romance of a gondolier’s serenade as you float beneath the Bridge of Sighs. In a place so at one with water, locals have come to expect flooding in Piazza San Marco and other parts of the low-lying city—but as ocean levels rise, Venice inches toward more serious inundation. Activists have taken on the challenge, investing in advanced flood gates and other technologies to stymie the impending swells. Artists have also taken a stand; in 2017, Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn created a massive sculpture of hands reaching out of the Grand Canal in an effort to draw attention to the sinking city.

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    Glacier National Park, Montana

    Spread over a million acres in Montana, right on the U.S.-Canada border, Glacier National Park attracted more than 3 million visitors in 2019. But as global temperatures rise, this pristine ecosystem, home to hundreds of species of animals and thousands of plants, is rapidly losing one of its main attractions: the very glaciers that give it its name. According to data released in May 2017 by the U.S. Geological Survey and Portland State University, a warming climate has significantly reduced the size of 39 different glaciers in the park since 1966—the worst of which have seen reductions up to 85 percent. And the shrinkage shows no sign of slowing down, either. As the glaciers melt, entire ecosystems will be altered, and scientists predict there will be little ice left after a couple more decades—and none at all by the end of the century.

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    The Dead Sea

    The Dead Sea is shrinking at a rate of around three feet a year; the body of water has already lost one-third of its surface area since development in the region started earlier this century, and sinkholes are appearing in spots where the water has receded. There are a few forces that continue to drive such change. Construction of dams, storage reservoirs, and pipelines over the years has reduced inflow water levels to just five percent of their original volume. And given that the Dead Sea's minerals have been heralded as therapeutic, extraction by cosmetic companies has proved detrimental. Add that to the fact that the Middle East's increasingly hot climate makes it difficult for the lake to replenish itself, and therein lies the problem: Experts estimate that if it continues to disappear at its present rate, the Dead Sea could be completely dry by 2050.

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    The Amazon

    The largest rainforest on earth, the Amazon covers roughly 40 percent of South America. Here, travelers will find scarlet macaws and blue poison dart frogs living side-by-side with jaguars and brown-throated sloths in the wet broadleaf rainforest. Yet despite the Amazon's size and vibrant flora and fauna, climate change has made it a fragile habitat. Extreme droughts have left tree species throughout the tropical jungle parched. As a result, they're vulnerable to large-scale dieback and more susceptible to forest fires. In fact, devastating wildfires are becoming increasingly prevalent: Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research identified more than 74,000 Amazon wildfires in 2019, a jump of nearly 85 percent over the previous year.

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    Yamal Peninsula, Russia

    The indigenous Nenets people have seen their reindeer-herding ways realigned by climate change, which is already affecting Russia’s far north as the permafrost melts, the weather becomes increasingly unpredictable, and the vital winter season shortens. In the winter of 2013, unusually warm temperatures brought rain to the peninsula, which then froze and covered the pastured in a thick layer of ice; reindeer couldn't dig through the ice to find food, resulting in tens of thousands of the animals starving to death. Climate scientists predict that this type of weather will only become more frequent as the earth continues to warm—a dangerous premonition for Russia's reindeer herds, and the communities that rely on reindeer husbandry for their livelihood.

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    The Maldives

    Clustered in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is made up of a series of atolls—ring-shaped islands formed from coral—and with year-round temperatures that range from 81–84 degrees Fahrenheit, it's the perfect place to channel your inner beach bum. The Maldives is also the lowest-lying country in the world (sitting an average of only 1.3 meters above sea level), however, and risks vanishing entirely as climbing tides are already displacing locals. During U.N. climate talks in December 2019, the small nation pleaded for infrastructure funding, warning that lack of action could soon lead to full islands swallowed by rising waters.

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    Key West, Florida

    A sun-soaked paradise once home to Ernest Hemingway, Key West is known for its pastel-colored buildings, ideal snorkeling conditions, and a relaxed atmosphere. But even before Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc in 2017, the southernmost city in the U.S. was facing environmental challenges: The Army Corps of Engineers estimates that the sea level in the Florida Keys will rise 15 inches over the next 30-odd years. Continual flooding pushed officials to research the cost of elevating major roads, resulting in a 2019 report with price tags far higher than expected. The ensuing reality: Not everywhere can be saved.

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    The Rhône Valley, France

    Situated in the south of France, the Rhône Valley is among the most vaunted winemaking regions in the world. It covers a corridor of more than 120 miles in length, and visitors could spend a full week driving from one tasting to the next, admiring the sprawling vineyards and mountainous backdrops. But as global temperatures rise, making the environment inhospitable for grapevines, many experts predict production will shrivel (we're talking an 85 percent decrease) and winemakers will be forced to relocate to cooler locales in Northern Europe. Many of the world’s premier regions for viticulture, including the Rhône Valley, are already experiencing climate-induced over-ripening, which negatively affects a wine’s flavor and mouthfeel, leading to fewer customers and depressed sales.

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    Mumbai, India

    Home to almost 20 million people, Mumbai is one of the world's most populous cities, one that surges with energy from the vendors lining the Colaba Causeway to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. But, climate change could leave major parts of the city underwater in future decades if global temperatures continue to rise—a likely outcome, seeing as a mere two-inch rise in water by 2050 would leave Mumbai prone to frequent flooding. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), global sea level is currently rising at a rate of roughly one-eighth of an inch per year. Such flooding would disproportionately affect migrants and the poor, many of whom live in slums on the city’s coastline.

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    The Alps

    This European mountain range has long served as a Shangri-La for skiers, stretching across eight countries and providing some of the most sought-after slopes in the world. With increasing temperatures, however, significant snowmelt continues to shorten the season for winter sports—in 2017, it was 38 days shorter than it was back in 1960, Time reports. Even more unsettling? Scientists predict that by the end of the century, you'll have to climb up to the 10,000-foot mark to see snow on the mountains. Many resorts have already begun to compensate by offering spa treatments and outdoor activities like horseback riding or tennis to lure more off-season visitors, as the off-season extends every year. 

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    Napa Valley, California

    Since the first commercial winery opened there in 1859, Napa has been among the premier stateside destinations for oenophiles. Napa County alone is home to more than 1,000 commercial wine producers, from which visitors can sip pinot noir while enjoying views of rolling vineyards set against Mount Saint Helena. Like the Rhone Valley, however, the temperate climate that has long been a boon to Napa winegrowers is undergoing change with the potential to disrupt the industry. The increased frequency of scorching summer days is predicted to make the area inhospitable to the premium wine grapes that grow there, devastating businesses of local vintners and crushing the region’s lucrative tourism industry.

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    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Climate experts have predicted that Rio de Janeiro will be the South American city most hurt by climate change. Projections show that if temperatures continue to increase, the sea level around Rio will rise up to 32 inches by the year 2100—enough to cover the city's famous beaches, airport, and even some inland neighborhoods. Aside from flooding concerns, rising waters would also lead to landslides, water shortages, and spreading of diseases. City leaders have partnered with NASA to better understand these threats, using data from NASA satellites to figure out ways to better adapt to increasing temperatures.

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    Alaska

    At more than twice the size of Texas, the vast Alaskan wilderness has much to offer the adventurous outdoor traveler. Whether you choose to kayak the Kenai River or hike Denali National Park, natural wonders are abundant. But with its proximity to the fast-thawing Arctic, Alaska is already experiencing major changes in the form of coastal erosion, sea ice retreat, and permafrost melt. The state’s many ice caps are receding at extraordinary rates, triggering landslides so intense they have registered on the Richter scale. Another devastating effect of higher temperatures is wildfires, which have destroyed more of Alaska's forest in the past decade than any previous. The number of wildfires is expected to double by 2050.

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    Osaka

    Located in the Kansai Region, midway between Tokyo and Hiroshima, Osaka is one of Japan’s biggest commercial centers. Here, eye-catching modern architecture is juxtaposed against ancient structures like the 3rd-century Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine, and it's a major culinary destination, thanks in large part to its fun and frenetic street-food scene. But like many major Japanese cities, sitting at low elevation on the sea puts Osaka at risk. Already susceptible to typhoons and heavy flooding, if global temperatures rises by 3 degrees Celsius as some scientists predict, giant swaths of the metropolis will become buried by the ocean.

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    New Orleans

    Home to raucous Bourbon Street and its more soulful counterpart Frenchman Street, New Orleans is a city built for a custom experience. Whether you’d rather wander its spooky above-ground cemeteries or bask in beignets and shrimp étouffée, there’s a malleable magic to the Big Easy. (Plus, a phenomenal cocktail scene to boot.) But the allure of life on the bayou can also be a curse, as played out by the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. And despite major infrastructure investments, the city is still at serious risk. Its location near the Gulf of Mexico means more frequent tropical storms continue to cause havoc, and the Mississippi River is prone to flooding that could surpass sea walls—all made worse by a huge increase of extreme rain events, the number of which has surged a disturbing 62 percent between 1950 and 2015.

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    Madagascar

    Spanning approximately 229,000 miles and just off the coast of Southeast Africa, the island of Madagascar is dense with diverse wildlife. In fact, roughly 90 percent of the country’s native flora and fauna are endemic, including lemurs, the fossa, and the world’s smallest known chameleon. This zoological wonderland is at risk, though, as a warming planet continues to place intense pressure on the island’s ecology. Extended dry seasons have put fresh bamboo shoots in short supply, which feed Madagascar’s population of lemurs, and more frequent flooding and rising sea levels are destroying delicate habitats such as mangrove forests. Meanwhile, coral bleaching in coastal reefs threatens the survival of many marine species.

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    Lagos, Nigeria

    The most populous city in Nigeria (with some 20 million residents), Lagos is a commercial and cultural hub situated on the Gulf of Guinea. (Just last year, we named Lagos one of 16 cities to visit “before all your friends catch on,” thanks to its burgeoning creative scene where art, fashion, and Afrobeat reign supreme.) Lagos is home to dozens of gorgeous white-sand beaches, but it’s proximity to the ocean is part of the problem: The increased frequency of heavy rainstorms are putting serious strain on the city’s infrastructure, and rising sea levels only serve to exacerbate the issue. Severe flooding in 2017 submerged vehicles and washed out hundreds of homes and businesses—a trend that could decimate Africa’s biggest economy.

TopicsSustainability