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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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(#8) Taj Mahal
- Mughal architecture
The Taj Mahal has been fighting an uphill battle against pollution for years, with acid rain wearing away at the building and air pollutants turning the beautiful marble facade from white to yellow.
To make things worse, the Yamuna River that runs alongside the Taj Mahal is starting to lose volume. The water keeps the wooden foundation of the complex saturated, which is essential for its physical stability. The more temperatures rise, the water levels will continue to drop and potentially endanger this 400-year-old treasure.
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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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(#5) Monarch Butterfly Reserves In Mexico Are Under Threat From Changes In Temperature
Monarch butterflies have a deeply ingrained homing instinct, and they migrate on the same routes from Canada to Mexico and back every year. They winter in Mexico, in mountain ranges that have the correct microclimate to support their hibernation.
The butterflies need very specific temperatures, hovering right above freezing, for their hibernation. They also rely on temperature to know when to start moving again - there is a biological trigger set off when the temperature raises to a specific point, which tells them it's time to begin the trip all the way back to Canada. With rising temperatures and changes in climate in the Mexican wintering areas, the butterflies' entire migration and hibernation cycle could be severely thrown off.
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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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(#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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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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