The Caribbean

The Caribbean
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A 2011 report by the United Nations predicted devastating effects of rising sea levels on the Caribbean islands by the end of this century, detailing a grim vision with more than 300 tourist resorts wiped out along with the airports, power plants, roads and agricultural lands at many popular destinations. What’s the timeline? The Third National Climate Assessment, released in 2014, projected a sea level rise of 30-120cm by 2100.

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Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia
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Can Game of Thrones be too much of a good thing? The HBO mega hit has made the ancient Croatian city so popular that it is literally turning tourists away. Dubrovnik is blessed with idyllic weather and a stunning coastline on the Adriatic Sea. But its starring role as the mythical King’s Landing has led to a sustained influx of tourists that threatens the World Heritage Site’s character, particular in the pedestrians-only Old Town. Last year the city’s mayor, Mato Franković, capped the number of visitors at 4,000 per day – half the limit allowed by UNESCO – and told The Telegraph he also planned to curtail the number of cruise ships stopping in port.

Here’s how to visit all your favourite GoT locations. 

Bordeaux Wine Country, France

Bordeaux Wine Country, France
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Dreaming of touring one of France’s most beloved wine-growing regions? It might be smart to do it sooner rather than later. Bordeaux is facing a two-thirds fall in production over the next 40 years due to climate shifts that affect rainfall, temperature and hours of sunshine. According to Wine Spectator, at the Vinexpo conference in Bordeaux in 2017, Harvard professor John Holdren predicted that the land suitable for grape-growing will potentially shrink by 23 percent by 2050.

Glacier National Park, USA

Glacier National Park, USA
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More than three million people visited Montana’s Glacier National Park in 2017, making it the busiest year in park history. The record-setting attendance was all the more notable given that this pristine park is rapidly losing its eponymous glaciers. A report released by the U.S. Geological Survey found that over the past 50 years global warming has caused the shrinking of the 26 remaining glaciers in the park – a number down from 150 in 1850. At this rate, scientists predict there will be no ice left by the end of the century.

Komodo Island, Indonesia

Komodo Island, Indonesia
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One of over 17,000 islands that compose the Republic of Indonesia, Komodo Island is a national park devoted to the world’s largest lizard, a protected species (with a venomous bite) that can grow to 2.6 metres and run at speeds of up to 19 kph. So many tourists flock to the island to get up close and personal with a Komodo dragon that tourism officials have sounded alarm bells. In April 2019, they announced that they were closing Komodo Island for a year, starting in January 2020. The decision came in response to an alleged smuggling ring that removed 41 Komodo dragons from the island and sold them abroad for about $US35,000. During the closure, the Indonesian government also plans to launch a conservation program for the dragons. The rest of the national park, which has beautiful scenery and snorkelling, will stay open, however.

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea
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A tourist draw for over two millennia, this landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan is located at the lowest point on Earth, nearly 425 metres below sea level. The Dead Sea’s other unique feature is the remarkably high salinity of its water, which is said to have healthful benefits and makes swimming more like floating. Unfortunately, the future is less than idyllic. Since 1960, the Dead Sea has lost a third of its surface area and continues to shrink about one metre per year, according to the environmentalist group EcoPeace Middle East.

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Source: RD.com

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