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(#1) Everglades
- Geographical Feature
The problem of rising tides is affecting many low-lying regions around the world. Since the Everglades National Park sits on the tip of the Florida Peninsula, surrounded by ocean on three sides, it is extremely susceptible to these rising sea levels.
The change in sea level won't just potentially submerge parts of the park's land. The Everglades have a balance of fresh water in the inland areas and saline (salt) water in the outer regions that border the ocean. Because of the rising tides (coupled with human encroachment), the saline areas have expanded and thrown of the balance of plant and animal species.
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(#3) Great Barrier Reef
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the more well-known examples of how climate change can affect the natural wonders of our planet, and for good reason. According to the Australian government, there are 3 main negative effects of climate change currently affecting the reef: rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, and extreme weather events.
Rising temperatures cause the most notable effect- coral bleaching. Along with entire portions of the reef being killed in bleaching events, the corals also have a difficult time growing when the ocean's acidity level goes up; slower growth means slower recovery from damage.
When it comes to damage, there is much more of it being done with increasingly powerful weather events like cyclones. With the combination of all three factors, the coral reefs are having a very difficult time surviving and maintaining a healthy rat eof growth. And while that spells bad news for the coral, it also has a devastating effect on the populations of other marine life that make the Great Barrier Reef so beautiful and diverse.
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(#2) Great Wall of China
- Tourist attraction
At the moment, the Great Wall of China is suffering the combined effects of climate change and human activity. While mining activities have collapsed one 2,300-foot span, another section has been eroded by severe weather.
The section of the wall, built during the Han Dynasty (221 BC - 207 BC), was constructed using packed-earth bricks, and it is now crumbling. Intense sand storms have also cracked what little remains of that portion of the wall.
Much of the destruction of the wall not attributed to humans is widely believed to be the result of climate change, and scientists are trying to come up with solutions to preserve the massive World Heritage Site. So far, ideas include programs to plant trees to prevent powerful sandstorms, and also burying the portions of the wall that are most at risk in order to save them.
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(#9) Dead Sea
- Lake
The Dead Sea holds information about climate change in the past, going back hundreds of thousands of years. Samples taken from below the sea bed have revealed catastrophic conditions caused by rising temperatures, and scientists are now concerned that history might repeat itself.
As temperatures in the region rise, water evaporates at an ever-faster rate from the sea. This puts a high amount of strain on the surrounding countries that rely on it for a water source, often leading to physical conflict.
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(#6) Aggressive Wildfires Are Becoming More Common In The Western United States
Californians went through a really tough fire season in 2017 - and it looks like that might be the new normal. The western United States is becoming drier, with an increase in the length and severity of dry seasons and droughts. When wildfires do strike, they are now burning longer and over larger areas than in the past.
The change in climate means higher temperatures, and lower humidity in the air. Whether the fires are started by a natural event (like lightning), human error, or human intention, they are becoming a very serious threat to those who live on the West Coast.
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(#10) Mount Kilimanjaro
Those of us with a coffee habit may have a hard time hearing about this particular effect of climate change. The region of eastern Africa that includes Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania is famous for its coffee, but that might be coming to an end within the next few decades.
The most profitable type of coffee, arabica, can only grow in very specific conditions - as in, only in regions where average temperatures are between 64-70 degrees Fahrenheit. They also need high amounts of rain (try 5 feet per year), but with dry months between the wet seasons.
As temperatures have risen in the past few years, farmers on the slopes of Kilimanjaro have been struggling. Not only has it become uncomfortably hot for the trees, the rains aren't coming in the same cycles that they used to. One study in 2014 predicted that the amount of land useable for growing coffee will decrease by 50% by the year 2050.
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Scientists once asserted that if the global climate continues to warm at the current rate, then the Amazon River, the Himalayas, and the other natural or man-made wonders of the world will all face destruction. The Valdivian rainforest, one of the largest rainforests in the world, is likely to disappear due to continuous forest fires. There is no doubt that climate change is one of the main challenges of modern times.
Climate change has had an unprecedented impact on a global scale. If human beings have not taken effective environmental protection measures, our descendants may only be able to see these wonders in books, photos, or videos. The random tool lists 10 great natural or man-made wonders that are being destroyed by climate change.
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