Many of the most beautiful, unusual places on earth are hugely affected by conditions created by climate change such as rising sea levels, increased beach erosion, more powerful storms, higher storm surges and threats to biodiversity. As the world gets hotter, the situation gets worse – for every two degree increase in temperature, water levels on our planet rise by an astonishing seven feet.
So if you are looking for ideas for your next trip – you might want to consider the breathtaking Great Barrier Reef, more than half of which has disappeared over the last three decades because of coral bleaching; the gorgeous and romantic city of Venice, which recent reports suggest is sinking five times faster than we once thought; the rich tropical rainforest and unique wildlife of Madagascar, where poaching, logging and burning is rapidly destroying the natural habitat; and the salty Dead Sea, which has shrunk by a third of its original size in the last 40 years and sunk by 80 feet.
Not forgetting the Arctic and the Antarctic too, which are being irreparably eroded by climactic change, and the islands threatened by climate change all over the world, including the 1,100 islands that make up The Maldives, which at an average of only 1.3 meters above sea level, are the globe’s lowest nation. The front-line country to the problem of climate change and the first one to fall is Kiribati, a small Pacific Island nation.
Of course bear in mind you may well be accelerating the demise of such places by travelling to them. But we at NOW believe that it is only by making people more appreciative of the natural world and the wonders it contains that they will in turn make more responsible travel choices and put pressure on the travel industry and governments to step up and protect our environment.
As the world’s population increases and larger numbers of us travel, it’s more important than ever for us to travel ethically and only support companies that are credibly proven to be sustainable when we do.