Global Warning: The World's Endangered Destinations

Many of our favorite travel destinations are in danger of being changed irrecoverably by increased temperatures and rising seas. The slides that follow take a look at some of the places that may be in danger—and some that are already experiencing the effects of global warming.

      The Everglades, Florida: Perhaps no region of the country is as vulnerable to climate change as Florida. Even a slight increase in temperature and water level could prove devastating to popular destinations like the Everglades, Miami Beach and the Keys.

Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska: A sign in Kenai Fjords National Park indicates where the Exit Glacier reached in 1978; about a half-mile away from where it has receded to today. A jaw-dropping spectacle for the thousands of tourists who flock to Alaska each year, many Alaska glaciers are rapidly receding.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef: One of the most impressive natural habitats in the world, the Great Barrier Reef could be killed by increased water temperatures and the resulting coral bleaching. Australia is particularly vulnerable to global warming because of its large number of fragile ecosystems, uncertain water sources and a high concentration of people living on the coast. 

The Netherlands: Popular for its abundant windmills, tulips, art and history, low-lying Holland—long dependent on dams and dikes to keep the ocean out—is at great risk from damaging floods over the next century.

Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: The first image of Kilimanjaro above was taken prior to 1998, the second in 2005. The fabled snows of Kilimanjaro have steadily declined over the past century, and all of its glaciers could be gone by 2020, according to a recent story in National Geographic.

Funafuti, Tuvalu: No countries are as fragile in the face of rising oceans as low-lying island nations, many of which are among the most popular tourist destinations. The tiny Pacific atoll nation of Tuvalu has been in talks with New Zealand about a possible evacuation of its 11,000 inhabitants if the oceans continue to rise.

South Georgia Island: Rife with king penguins, seal, whales and albatross, South Georgia Island, located just north of Antarctica, has become a popular stopover for cruise ships in the south Atlantic. Studies have shown that both poles are warming at a rate far faster than the rest of the planet, leading to decreased ice thickness and an increase in ice shelf disintegration.

Dalian, China: Fast-growing China, shown here during a prolonged heat wave last year, is opening about one coal plant every day this year. Along with the U.S., China is one of the world's leading contributors to the greenhouse gases believed to be largely responsible for the increase in the Earth's temperature.

Venice, Italy: No stranger to flooding, Venice has invested $4.5 billion in a floodgate system that is due to open in 2012. New estimates of changing ocean levels have led some critics to call into question the floodgates' ability to hold out the rising waters.

Tokyo, Japan: Following Tokyo's first winter without snow in 131 years, the plum blossoms emerged three weeks earlier than normal this year. This occurrence is being echoed by migratory patterns and spawning cycles throughout the natural world.

       Wengen, Switzerland: This January, 2007 photo of the Swiss Alps shows what some forecasters fear could be the near future for lower-elevation ski resorts. Climate scientists have projected that all of the glaciers in the Alps will be completely melted by 2050.

Manhattan, New York City: With high concentrations of population living just above sea level, New York and Los Angeles were listed in a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as being at risk of potentially catastrophic "megafloods" resulting from rising oceans and stronger storms in the next century.

Halong Bay, Vietnam: With a high percentage of its population living along the coast, Vietnam faces considerable risk from the effects of global warming. Experts worry that developing nations may not have the resources available to thwart the dangers of climate change as readily as wealthier nations.

St. Claude Street Bridge, New Orleans: Many climatologists believe that the increased temperature of the Gulf of Mexico led to the strengthening of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the fall of 2005. Higher water temperatures could lead to a greater frequency of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes in the future.

London, England: Designed to protect London from storm surges and extremely high tides, the Thames Barrier was opened in 1984. Some analysts fear that rising oceans will create conditions beyond the capabilities the barrier was designed to meet.

Northwest Territories, Canada: Polar bears have become one of the more obvious victims of the impact of global warming. With about 23,000 square miles of Arctic sea ice melting every year, the bears' hunting grounds are shrinking rapidly. Some scientists predict polar bears will be extinct in the next century. 

(00)()(from MSN Travel)