Science Advances Magazine
London, June 4 (RHC) The Maldives and some Pacific Islands, Kilimanjaro, Venice and several places that receive millions of visitors today are threatened by climate change for which the world’s tourist map could be redesigned by 2050, according to to several studies published in the journal Science Advances.
Several reports from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warn about the dangers of rising sea levels and storms, the melting of glaciers and the degradation of ecosystems in areas which, due to their natural beauty, attract tourists.
After the recent floods that devastated the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, several experts point out that the planet is facing a very intense transformation process, whether due to urban expansion or the use of natural resources.
A study carried out in 2022 by UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature revealed that some glaciers considered world heritage sites will disappear by 2050 and its effects not only apply to those places, but also to beaches, islands and mountains of several continents.
With this forecast, projections made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicate that the Maldives and some islands located in the Pacific could disappear by the year 2100.
This will be because sea level could rise between 0.38 meters and 0.77 meters, respectively, according to the report “Ocean, Cryosphere and Sea Level Change.
On the other hand, and even more alarming is another investigation by Science Advances and scientists from the United States Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Hawaii, which showed that the region could become uninhabitable as early as 2060.
The melting of the glaciers will affect other tourist regions such as the Los Alerces National Park, in the Patagonia region, in Argentina, the glaciers of the Huascarán National Park, in Peru; the Yellowstone National Park, in the United States, and the Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, located on the border with Canada.
For Kilimanjaro National Park, in Tanzania, and Mount Kenya, in Kenya, the disappearance forecasts are set for 2050, and the glaciers of the western Tien-Shan, in the border region between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, are in a similar situation.
They also foresee what will happen with the Pyrenees on the border between France and Spain and the glaciers of the Dolomites, in Italy.
Sea level rise caused largely by this melting will also endanger the Caroline Islands, the Cook Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Line Islands, the Society Islands, the Spratly Islands, the Seychelles and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. experts point out.
About Venice, in Italy, UNESCO noted in 2023 that, although the country carries out work to contain sea level rise, attempts to implement them have actually been very limited.
“They may work in the future, but Venice is particularly vulnerable to climate change,” the organization said at its World Heritage Committee meeting. (Source:PL)
