Danger zones
Wadden Sea, Germany, Netherlands and Denmark
The largest unbroken tidal flats system in the world, the Wadden Sea extends along the coasts of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Covering nearly 5,753 square miles (14,900sq km), and extending along a coastal strip of about 300 miles (500km), it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its unique habitats and biodiversity. However, the extraordinarily beautiful coastal landscape faces numerous threats including climate change, fishing, maritime traffic, industry, residential and tourism development.
Wadden Sea, Germany, Netherlands and Denmark
With its endless saltmarshes, sand dunes, mudflats and mussel beds, the vast intertidal system is a haven for millions of migratory birds as well as seals. Its low-lying islands have long been home to seafaring communities too. But this bewitching landscape has already seen changes as the sea encroaches on land (pictured here is erosion along the Dutch coastline) and coastal floods become more frequent. As global warming causes oceans to rise and storms are predicted to become more extreme, the future is looking uncertain.
Bears Ears National Monument, Utah, USA
Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo
Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo
Vatnajökull, Iceland
Europe’s largest glacier can be found in Vatnajökull National Park, a spectacular protected wilderness area in southwest Iceland. Once stretching over more than a tenth of the country, the UNESCO World Heritage Site now covers a mere 8% of the island. It has a surface area of around 3,127 square miles (8,100sq km) but is shrinking rapidly due to climate change. It’s thought to be retreating by a length of nearly three soccer fields a year in some places. Now take a look at photos showing the beautiful and terrifying power of Mother Nature.
Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Amazon rainforest, Brazil
Amazon rainforest, Brazil
The dense rainforest is also one of our greatest buffers against the climate crisis. However, in the last 50 years alone, the Amazon has lost at least 17% of its forest cover from a combination of deforestation, population density and infrastructure advances. This image shows how significant parts of the rainforest have been turned into farmland for rearing cattle. The shocking fires that consumed great swathes of the natural wonder in 2019 were caused by destructive human activity, as lands are cleared for farming with fire.
Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
The iconic Joshua trees are what gives California’s Joshua Tree National Park its name but as the planet heats up, these unique trees which have dotted the Mojave desert for millennia are dying. Few species of trees have ever been able to grow in the desert conditions of the national park but the cactus-like Joshua trees have always been able to withstand the heat to not only survive but thrive. Discover more photos of the world’s beautiful trees here.
Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
New Guinea rainforests
New Guinea rainforests
However, this patch of paradise is fast disappearing. A combination of mining, oil rigging and industrial logging means that New Guinea’s forests, and the species within them, are sadly at risk. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, more than 2% of the forests on the island have already been felled. The production of palm oil is of particular concern as the natural forest is cleared for cultivation of profitable palm trees. Find out about the world’s most endangered rainforests here.
Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
UNESCO placed the national park on its list of World Heritage in Danger in 2010 after it found that it had suffered a significant reduction of marine and estuarine biodiversity. Invasive species are a threat to its rare and endangered plants and its mangroves are retreating due to rising sea levels. According to analysis by Florida International University, the wetlands are likely to be submerged by seawater within 30 years. Work is ongoing to restore the flow and quality of water. These places could also be underwater by 2050.
Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Madagascar rainforests
Madagascar rainforests
Sundarbans Reserve Forest, India and Bangladesh
Sundarbans Reserve Forest, India and Bangladesh
Tusheti National Park, Georgia
A beautiful mountainous region in northeast Georgia, Tusheti is one of the last great remote corners of Europe where bears and rare indigenous species like the Caucasian black grouse and East Caucasian tur roam. However, the region’s creatures, spectacular landscapes and unique culture of its far-flung communities could change forever if a new road is constructed. The controversial infrastructure project is yet to be confirmed but if it goes ahead it risks damaging its ecosystems and bringing the inevitable changes that come with more tourists.
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
Long Mynd, Shropshire, England
Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe
One of Africa’s mightiest spectacles, the thundering Victoria Falls is showing the effects of climate change as the region gets hotter and drier. The worst drought in a century reduced its waterfall to a mere trickle in 2019. While seasonal reductions in water levels of the falls, which sits on the Zambezi between Zambia and Zimbabwe, are normal, 2019’s dry season saw an unprecedented decline. Discover the world’s most incredible waterfalls here.
Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe
A Zimbabwe government official told the BBC that low water levels are becoming more frequent and that the average flow over the falls in 2019 was down by almost 50% (pictured here in December 2019). While water levels improved a few weeks later after rains fell in the Upper Zambezi River, the level was still much lower than previous years. Ongoing changes to one of Africa’s most famous tourist attractions will have widespread ramifications for both the waterfalls’ ecosystems as well as its local economies.
Jurassic Coast, Devon and Dorset, England
The 95-mile (153-km) stretch of coast that runs from Dorset to Devon is one of Britain’s most amazing natural wonders. Its dramatic cliffs, secluded coves, coastal stacks and barrier beaches record 185 million years of Earth’s history. Famed for unique rock formations such as Old Harry Rocks and Durdle Door, this wild landscape has been shaped by erosion and will continue to drastically change its appearance as wetter winters, sea level rise and an increase in storminess accelerate the process of change.
Jurassic Coast, Devon and Dorset, England
Landslides are common along the coastline with bad weather causing the cliffs to become unstable and collapse. Climate change will make the UNESCO World Heritage Site and its communities more vulnerable to the rising sea with more frequent cliff collapses and beach floodings predicted. Pictured is a fresh cliff fall at Burton Bradstock, caused by coastal erosion in March 2020 (before COVID-19 social distancing measures were enforced). The coast around Swanage also experienced a severe landslip after Storm Dennis battered the country in February.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
This year, the world’s largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef experienced its third mass coral bleaching event in five years. Climate change is the biggest threat to the world’s fragile coral reef ecosystems. As the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans heat up, due to human activities, hotter water temperatures are causing mass coral bleaching events and infectious disease outbreaks to become more frequent. Australia’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed reef has also been adversely affected by tropical cyclones.
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Demand for lithium is increasing – it’s used in smartphone batteries, for example – and Bolivia is extracting it. Mines and heavy duty machinery digging up the Salar are not just ruining the view but putting the picturesque salt flats at serious risk. The increased traffic and pollution will affect the fragile ecosystem and put pressure on water supply, as well as damage the beauty of one of the world’s most incredible geological features. Now take a look at before and after photos of how the world’s attractions have changed.
The Dead Sea, Israel and Jordan
Bordered by Jordan and Israel, the landlocked Dead Sea is the lowest and saltiest body of water on Earth. However, the sea’s buoyant waters are now receding, causing sinkholes to appear. The water level of the Dead Sea is said to be dropping by approximately three feet (1m) a year. About 50 years ago, the Dead Sea covered around 386 square miles (1,000sq km), a level that had been largely constant since records began in the early 18th century. It has now shrunk to around 259 square miles (670sq km).
The Dead Sea, Israel and Jordan
Pictured here is an abandoned tourist resort that collapsed into one of the sinkholes in 2016. Sinkholes have formed as a lot less water is now flowing into the Dead Sea from the River Jordan because people have diverted it for irrigation. If this continues, experts have warned that the Dead Sea could dry out by 2050. There are moves to direct more water into the Dead Sea from the River Jordan. Time will tell if it can be restored to its former levels. Discover more of the world’s landmarks under threat from climate change.
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Previously a long drive from Hanoi, the opening of the new Van Don International Airport at the end of 2018 looks set to put this fragile and photogenic landscape in peril. One pressing and all-too-visible problem is that the UNESCO site has become more polluted with trash, waste and discarded fuel from the many tour boats that chug around its waters. This photo was taken in September 2019.
Now take a look at images that show the true impact of climate change
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