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We take for granted finer locations in our world, forgetting to stop and consider how
temporary they may be.
Through natural erosion and man’s influence, many notable cities, landmarks, and natural
formations are on the verge of vanishing entirely.
From the western world to the far east, these are the top ten places that will disappear
in your lifetime.
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10.
Detroit, MI The chronicled perils of Detroit, Michigan,
birthplace of Motown and the rise of Eminem and Kidrock, have shown just how quick the
mighty can fall.
Once known as the “Paris of the Midwest” for its stunning architecture and a leader
in the automotive industry, Motor City is a shell of its former self.
Prior to filing bankruptcy in 2013, which became the largest municipal filing in U.S.
history, then-Mayor Dave Bing devised a plan to bulldoze 10,000 homes to shift focus and
investments into “better” areas of the city.
Today, it’s one of most dangerous cities – if not the most dangerous city - in the
United States and continues to get absorbed by nature and misfortune.
From the decaying of the once roaring Silverdome, to the blight that surrounds the city, there
seems to be little hope of recovery for the once booming city.
9.
Alaskan Tundra The icy paradise of the Alaskan Tundra has
been under constant threat of climate change and, if the rate remains constant, its permafrost
is likely to all but vanish within the next century.
Once frigid and barren landscapes, home to polar bears and other cold-weather creatures,
have given way to the long stretches of greenery and trees.
Over the past 17 years, temperatures have been increasing and some estimates believe
the average temperature will permanently increase 13°F within the next century.
Ironically, as temperatures increase, pathogens and insects that attack local plant life can
move in and attack the new greenery. 8.
The Alps Glacial Ice If conditions remain constant, climate experts
estimate that between 2030 and 2050, Alpine glacial ice will disappear completely.
At an average loss rate of 3%, or 3.3-feet or roughly 1-meter of ice per year, the complete
loss of glacial ice in the region would lead to changes in drinking and irrigation water
supplies and have a great impact on Europe’s money-making ski industry.
Without the ice compacting the mountainous rock beneath, experts also fear that cases
of dangerous falling rock would be on the rise, making the region even more treacherous
than it already is.
Though the mountainous terrain will remain, they will be a shadow of their former selves.
7.
Seychelles Before we know it, beautiful, tropical island
paradises will be a thing of the past.
Part of a group of 115 individual islands, Seychelles, often referred to as the Garden
of Eden, is slowly sinking into the Indian Ocean.
Climate change has led to a diminished coral reef, which serves as a natural barrier against
the island’s erosion.
Estimates have given the island about 50 years before natural erosion and rising sea levels
completely overtake it, displacing some 85,000 people that call Seychelles home.
6.
Angkor Wat Sometime during the 12th century, the temple
complex of Angkor Wat was constructed by the Khmer Empire in favor of the Hindu god, Vishnu.
Much like the civilization responsible for the large structure, Angkor Wat is soon to
be lost to time.
Threatening the existence of the ancient structure is its popularity as a tourist site and related
commercialization of the region surrounding it.
According to restoration experts, as nearby hotels tap into water supplies, they increasingly
threaten the stability of the already fragile foundation Angkor Wat sits on.
While continued tourism benefits the surrounding area, the increased foot traffic is slowly
chipping away at the brittle temple.
5.
Congo Basin, Africa Within 50 years, deforestation, road development,
and mineral mining could lead to the destruction of two-thirds of the Congo River Basin.
According to the World Wildlife Federation, the river basin loses an estimated 3.7 million
acres a year and while it’s currently the second largest rainforest in the world, it’s
unlikely that it will remain that way.
Home to over 11,000 different mammals, avian, and plant species, the basin is vital to the
local ecology, but at a vanishing rate of 5% per decade and with continued poaching
still a threat, the future of the Congo is looking grim.
4.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia An icon of Australia and natural wonder, the
Great Barrier Reef may be no more by 2030.
University of Queensland reef researcher Ove Hoegh-Guldberg has attested that increased
carbon dioxide output and overall higher global temperatures have been slowly killing the
reef for upwards of thousands of years.
Labeled one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet, the Great Barrier Reef teeters
on the edge of UNESCO’s “in-danger” stamp and, in 2015, Australian officials were
given five years to rectify current deterioration levels before being placed on the World Heritage
in Danger list.
3.
Great Wall of China Starting off as a 13,171-mile or 21,196-kilometer
long wall that stretched from Hushan to Jiayuguan Pass, over the years mankind has dwindled
it down by almost 30% - mainly from citizens stealing the bricks to make houses and damage
caused by nature.
Paupers in the region also steal pieces of the wall to sell engraved slabs to tourists,
while tourists themselves will also chip off their own souvenirs.
According to Great Wall of China Society Vice-president Dong Yaohui, many of the wall’s towers have
become so unstable that a heavy rain storm could tear them down.
2.
Taj Mahal, India Over 364 years ago, India’s most attractive
structure was erected.
Today, after being visited by millions upon millions of tourists, the Taj Mahal faces
an immediate demise.
According to a group of campaigners, the foundation the ornate structure sits on has become so
brittle and weak that the entire structure could collapse within five years.
Allegedly, the drying of the Yamuna River, caused by overuse and overpopulation, has
caused the wood to rot.
Concerns have grown louder after cracks appeared in the tomb and the minarets surrounding the
temple began to tilt.
1.
Amazon, Brazil Despite periods of slowed deforestation of
the Amazon rainforest during the 90’s and early 2000s, humans are back at it again,
mimicking the peak levels that were reported in the 1980s.
In August and September of 2014, land clearance increased at a rate of 190% as farmers and
loggers found means of exploiting loopholes in protective regulations.
Currently, only 40% of the rainforest is protected and as more of it is harvested and cleared,
ecosystems across the globe are affected.
Researchers at Princeton University determined in 2013 that as more of the forest is destroyed,
the west coast of the United States may suffer from extended and more serious droughts.