Warming Wonders of the World
There are a lot of incredible places in the world that are being threatened by climate change. Earth Day Network (www.earthday.org) invites you to come with us…
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Savannah, Georgia- Savannah, a beautiful southern city with a large atmosphere and vibe only a few miles from marshlands has a lot to lose if the sea rises by only three feet. According to the Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), Savannah doesn’t have much time. It could become an island if it is hit by a category two hurricane and if hit by a category three hurricane most of Savannah will be 17-23 feet under water.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Honolulu, Hawaii- Renowned for its beautiful beaches, amazing location and tropical atmosphere, Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, is a tourist destination for all. However, as sea levels rise around the world, the tiny island will lose much of its shoreline. Some experts’ claim that just a one inch rise in sea level could cause the shoreline to move up eight feet and that a one-foot rise would cause the beach to move 100 feet inland.
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Warming Wonders of the World
The Fynbos, South Africa- This 90,000-square-kilometer strip of scrubland in the Western Cape of South Africa hosts an array of unique flowers found nowhere else on the continent. Its distinctive proteas, such as the king protea that is South Africa's national flower, evolved in the cooler climate and are therefore highly susceptible to rising temperatures, and global warming.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Mahajamba Bay, Madagascar- One of the largest of the remaining mangrove forests in the world may be under water in the near future if the sea level rise continues. Mangroves once covered much of the coastlines of Africa and Asia, but started to disappear under threat from a variety of human activities, including coastal development and natural disasters such as hurricanes or tsunamis. In Madagascar, rising sea levels and temperatures may overwhelm the Mahajamba Bay mangroves by 2030
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Warming Wonders of the World
Boreal Forest- The Boreal forest is the world's largest land-based biome spreading over continents and covering many countries including much of Canada, Russia and Scandinavia. But as the northern regions of the earth continue to warm, the southern edges of the boreal forest will give way to grasslands, and the forest as a whole could shrink by half.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica- Located 1,700 meters above sea level in the volcanic mountains of central Costa Rica the iconic Monteverde Cloud Forest gets its name from living among permanent clouds. The humidity is often 100 percent, but as global warming drives clouds further up off the mountainsides, their ascent exposes the lower reaches of the cloud forest to higher temperatures and drier conditions. This shift may mean the eventual end of the green cloud forests in Costa Rica.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Doñana wetlands, Spain- Doñana wetlands host’s large amounts of Migratory birds in Europe and is facing a group of threats. Pollution and loss of groundwater due to farming and global warming have begun to shrink these seasonal marshes in Spain. These changes have occurred so rapidly that UNESCO believes this natural wonder faces a "very high threat" of disappearing in the near future.
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Warming Wonders of the World
The Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica- One of the world’s largest bodies of ice, the Ross Ice Shelf covers 487,000 square kilometers and holds voluminous amounts of fresh water. It is also one of the fastest-warming regions on the entire planet, which puts it at risk of a meltdown and collapse, similar to that of the Larsen B ice shelf in 2002. That collapse saw a chunk of ice more than 2,700 square kilometers, larger than the state of Rhode Island, disintegrate.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Miami, Florida- Miami is ranked as the richest city in the United States, and the world's fifth-richest city in terms of purchasing power. Miami is a super city of the U.S. Home to more than 5 million people who live at an average elevation of just 6 feet above sea level, Miami ranks at or near the top of many lists of the world's most vulnerable cities with flooding, saltwater intrusion into its drinking water, and storm surges made worse by rising sea levels and global warming.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Abidjan, Ivory Coast- Nestled along the southeastern coast of this small West African country off the Gulf of Guinea, Abidjan has a large economy with globalization booming its population, which is expected to reach 6.5 million by 2025. Sadly, the sea keeps eating at the cities coastline. Combined with population growth and global warming, these threats mean that Abidjan faces an average of more than $1 billion in flood losses and damage repair every year by 2050.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Surat, India- Sometimes called the Diamond City thanks to its booming diamond cutting industry, Surat is also one of the world's fastest growing cities, with a population estimated at more than 8 million today. This port city in western India is located along the Gulf of Cambay, where rising sea levels already are stopping development projects thanks to high tides that have begun to overtop sea protection walls there, adding to the cities projected annual flood losses of $928 million.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Bangkok, Thailand- A Booming Capitol full of life and fun, Bangkok’s population has reached over 10 million is recent years and is subject to much further growth. Sadly like main other coastal cities Bangkok is subject to subsidence. In the 1970’s, the city was found to be sinking at a rate of about 4.7 inches per year. Today that rate has slowed to less than an inch, but parts of the city now lie more than 3 feet below sea level and many fear these parts could be submerged by 2030
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Warming Wonders of the World
Xiamen, China- A fast growing Chinese city, Xiamen is expected to reach a population of 5 million by 2025. The combination of rising sea levels and land subsidence, an occurrence when humans drain land of the water below its surface, is expected to threaten many of China's coastal cities in the coming decades including Xiamen. In a recent report it was revealed that sea levels along China's coastline had risen nearly 5 inches since 1993.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Nagoya, Japan- Found along Ise Bay in central Japan, Nagoya is home to more than 2.2 million people and is full of activity and life. It's also one of the world's fastest-sinking cities, as it is experiencing land subsidence— a unique occurrence when humans drain land of the water below its surface. By 2050 Nagoya is expected to spend some $564 million every year in responding to floods, and that's before the expected sea level rise is taken into account.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Gansu Province, China- The beautiful Gansu Province full of unique rock structures and farms is struggling to cope with the effects of climate change, as droughts and arid land contribute to the region's downfall. The United Nations has stated that warming temperatures are shrinking glaciers in central Asia and the Himalayas, which typically replenish China's rivers harming this unique region.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Mumbai, India- The Indian metropolis of Mumbai, capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the most populous city in India is at great risk of dangerous and costly floods due to climate change. Researchers found the city's existing defenses and protection against flooding and storm surges are only designed to withstand current conditions, not for the anticipated rise in sea levels that will make future floods more devastating.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Darfur- Darfur was once a region with nomadic herders and farmers living in peace and tranquility. But when the land crippled by a decades-long drought, the region was no longer able to support both lifestyles. Farmers began to fence off their fields, and clashes broke out between them and nomadic tribes. When climate scientists analyzed the drought, they discovered that rising temperatures in the tropical and southern oceans had combined to disrupt the African monsoons.
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Warming Wonders of the World
The Gulf Coast- Climate change has affected the world dramatically especially in certain areas like the gulf coast. With more frequent and powerful hurricanes in recent years areas like the gulf coast have become dangerous places to live. In a report released in 2004, the insurers predicted that another decade of global warming would cost $30 billion in weather-related claims every year.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Tarawa, Kiribati - In 2014 the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, composed of 33 small islands, became the first country to declare that global warming is rendering its lands uninhabitable, and has asked for help towards evacuating its population. If sea water levels continue to rise at their current level, experts believe that the islands will be entirely underwater by 2100.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Venice - This global hub of or art and architecture is endangered by global warming. Under the combined effect of rising water levels and settling land, Venice has sunk nine inches in the last century. Experts warn the problem could worsen in the coming decades as sea levels continue to rise.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Helsinki, Finland - Warming temperatures and rising sea levels are expected to be particularly problematic for this picturesque, far-north capital city located along the Baltic Sea. Recognizing this – and anticipating flooding caused by extreme climate change-related weather phenomena – the city is already taking serious steps to prepare.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Niger River - The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about 2,600 mi. It is also essential to millions of migratory water birds. But the river is under pressure because of increased evaporation and increased water extraction for irrigation due to the impacts of climate change. Located in one of the poorest regions in the world, millions of people living along the Niger River could see massive food and water shortages if the river continues to dry.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Greenland - The Greenland ice sheet, the largest in the Northern hemisphere, is melting at an alarming rate due to global warming. If temperatures were to rise 1.6 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, the ice sheet will most likely tip toward irreversible loss. Alarmingly, temperatures have already risen 0.8 degrees C. If the entire ice sheet were to melt, sea level would rise 7 meters (20 ft.), which would have dramatic effects on the rest of the world.
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Warming Wonders of the World
New Orleans - Scientists predict rising sea levels due to global warming could submerge much of the present Louisiana coastline by the end of the century. New Orleans and the barrier islands to the south would be dramatically affected. The rate of sediment deposit of the Mississippi delta cannot keep up with the rising sea levels, which would ultimately cause destructive flooding to surrounding areas. This will be compounded by the growing intensity of hurricanes.
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Warming Wonders of the World
Hudson Bay - The deadly combination of nearby toxic run off and rising temperatures has caused reason for concern in the world’s second largest bay. The iconic polar bear population in Canada’s Hudson Bay could soon be extinct as a result of climate change. As global warming melts more Arctic ice, hunting opportunities become scarce as the bears are forced to spend about 3 more weeks on land per year. If similar patterns continue, it is feared that the bears could die out in 25-30 years.
Earth Day Network
Warming Wonders of the World