7 Bucket List Destinations to Visit While You Still Can
January 13, 2017
Planning to visit some of your bucket list destinations in 2017? If the following seven are on your list, hop to it. Whether due to climate change, rising tides, or increasing pollution, these landmark sights are now seriously—and sadly—at risk.
Take in all you can now—and be mindful to travel green, wherever possible. 2017 is the UN’s Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, after all.
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF: 2016 was the year that we learned of catastrophic coral bleaching in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Tragically, almost a quarter of the reef is now dead, and annual bleaching events are jeopardizing the health of what remains. Heartbreakingly for scuba divers, wildlife lovers, and Finding Nemo fans, unless drastic changes are made, the devastation is likely to increase in warming waters. So make 2017 the year you visit, and marvel at the world's most extraordinary coral ecosystem while it's still there.
VENICE: Is it any surprise that a city built on water gets wet from time to time? No—but the rate of acqua alta days (when exceptionally high tides flood St. Mark's Square and other parts of Venice) have increased from an average of 10 times per year to a whopping 60. Best to head to this UNESCO World Heritage Site post-haste.
MT. KILIMANJARO: Of course, Mt. Kilimanjaro itself isn't going anywhere. Given that it's the world's tallest freestanding mountain, that would be dramatic. But its famous snows and glaciers, immortalized by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, are sadly in jeopardy. Scientists report that a staggering 85% of snow coverage has disappeared in the last century (26% since 2000 alone). If your ambition is to climb Africa's highest peak while it's still frosty, book a trip before 2020, after which it's predicted that the snowcap may be gone forever.
THE EVERGLADES: Florida's low-lying Everglades have long been at risk of deterioration in water flows, shrinking habitats, and species loss, and in 2017, the stunning national park is the focus of renewed concerns. Warming temperatures are leading to eutrophication (when algae blooms create an excess of oxygen in the water, which kills off animal species), and rising ocean waters are threatening to inundate parts of the park. Visit now, while you can still catch gators, manatees, and bobcats in their native habitat.
THE MALDIVES: NASA researchers are currently predicting that we're locked in for a minimum three-foot rise in global ocean levels by the end of the century, which spells particularly bad news for low-lying island communities. The Maldives has a reputation as one of the most gorgeous and luxurious tropical getaways on Earth, but is facing unprecedented risks of being submerged. For now, plan a trip, revel in the atolls' natural beauty, and help support the local economy, too.
THE TAJ MAHAL: Meet the landmark that poet Rabindranath Tagore called "a teardrop on the cheek of eternity." The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World thanks to its timeless, iconic beauty. But its white marble exterior is yellowing amidst industrial pollution, and some structural insecurities are also making it vulnerable. Visit while it's still pristine—and hit a few other vulnerable bucket list destinations while you're at it, including China's Great Wall and Cambodia's Angkor Wat.
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK: What's Glacier National Park without the glaciers? Still beautiful, certainly—though perhaps missing a certain unique selling point. Once home to upwards of 150 glaciers, there are now just 25 to be found in the national park. Some estimates suggest that number could shrink to zero by 2030, if not earlier. The park is truly a place of spellbinding beauty; don't miss the chance to visit while its namesake ice formations can still be glimpsed.
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF: 2016 was the year that we learned of catastrophic coral bleaching in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Tragically, almost a quarter of the reef is now dead, and annual bleaching events are jeopardizing the health of what remains. Heartbreakingly for scuba divers, wildlife lovers, and Finding Nemo fans, unless drastic changes are made, the devastation is likely to increase in warming waters. So make 2017 the year you visit, and marvel at the world's most extraordinary coral ecosystem while it's still there.
VENICE: Is it any surprise that a city built on water gets wet from time to time? No—but the rate of acqua alta days (when exceptionally high tides flood St. Mark's Square and other parts of Venice) have increased from an average of 10 times per year to a whopping 60. Best to head to this UNESCO World Heritage Site post-haste.
MT. KILIMANJARO: Of course, Mt. Kilimanjaro itself isn't going anywhere. Given that it's the world's tallest freestanding mountain, that would be dramatic. But its famous snows and glaciers, immortalized by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, are sadly in jeopardy. Scientists report that a staggering 85% of snow coverage has disappeared in the last century (26% since 2000 alone). If your ambition is to climb Africa's highest peak while it's still frosty, book a trip before 2020, after which it's predicted that the snowcap may be gone forever.
THE EVERGLADES: Florida's low-lying Everglades have long been at risk of deterioration in water flows, shrinking habitats, and species loss, and in 2017, the stunning national park is the focus of renewed concerns. Warming temperatures are leading to eutrophication (when algae blooms create an excess of oxygen in the water, which kills off animal species), and rising ocean waters are threatening to inundate parts of the park. Visit now, while you can still catch gators, manatees, and bobcats in their native habitat.
THE MALDIVES: NASA researchers are currently predicting that we're locked in for a minimum three-foot rise in global ocean levels by the end of the century, which spells particularly bad news for low-lying island communities. The Maldives has a reputation as one of the most gorgeous and luxurious tropical getaways on Earth, but is facing unprecedented risks of being submerged. For now, plan a trip, revel in the atolls' natural beauty, and help support the local economy, too.
THE TAJ MAHAL: Meet the landmark that poet Rabindranath Tagore called "a teardrop on the cheek of eternity." The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World thanks to its timeless, iconic beauty. But its white marble exterior is yellowing amidst industrial pollution, and some structural insecurities are also making it vulnerable. Visit while it's still pristine—and hit a few other vulnerable bucket list destinations while you're at it, including China's Great Wall and Cambodia's Angkor Wat.
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK: What's Glacier National Park without the glaciers? Still beautiful, certainly—though perhaps missing a certain unique selling point. Once home to upwards of 150 glaciers, there are now just 25 to be found in the national park. Some estimates suggest that number could shrink to zero by 2030, if not earlier. The park is truly a place of spellbinding beauty; don't miss the chance to visit while its namesake ice formations can still be glimpsed.
