Visit these popular tourist traps before they succumb to climate change

The voracious manner in which climate change has been altering landscapes and destroying tourist hotspots worldwide means it's only a matter of time before trip advisory websites attach a doomsday countdown timer next to their travel offers.

Most of these places are severely threatened by rising ocean levels that stand to erase large swaths of land from the map. At the same time, widespread habitat destruction erodes other places of their magnificent centrepieces.

Therefore, if you're planning a hoity-toity destination honeymoon, keep reading to find out which tourist destinations you might not be able to add to your wedding catalogues in a few years.

Mumbai, India

Ah yes, the pristine coastal city with its star-studded beaches and more glam than you consume in a lifetime; everyone knows that Mumbai is where it's at. However, even the Maharashtran capital's arsenal of political influencers won't be able to abate the havoc that climate change stands to wreak here.

Rising sea levels, alongside an increasing frequency of flooding and cyclones, could threaten to turn the City of Dreams into the City of Drowns, submerging most tourist attractions in the state. A snippet of the places we stand to lose include the famous Marine Drive, Girgaum, Mohammed Ali Road (which lights up with vigour during Ramadan) and Breach Candy.

The Statue of Liberty, New York

With the way the State of Liberty literally sticks out of a tiny rock surrounded by water on all four sides, it's a wonder she isn't holding an SOS sign up. In addition, the increasing frequency of tropical cyclones in the New York Bay area means storm surges could really do a number on the iconic monument.

In addition, sea levels are rising four times faster on this coast than the rest of the US shoreline, making sea erosion of its foundation a viable threat. There's only so much money we can pump into repairs before we might have to move her somewhere safer.

Venice, Italy

Few places have become as synchronous with romance as Venice. I mean, where else would you expect to take a romantic gondola ride through a city's canals while someone sings mellifluous Italian tunes to you?

However, you would hardly be able to concentrate on the city's romantics if you knew how it fared beyond its scintillating exterior. Exacerbated by climate change and rising sea levels, many of its buildings are sinking.

Just two years back, more than 80% of the city was over a foot underwater — an event that will only become more common as sea levels rise worldwide. Many estimates say the city could succumb to our oceans as early as 2100.

The Maldives

Similar to Venice, the Maldives are a must-visit romantic destination that needs hardly any introduction. And the problems that plague our Italian town also affect this collection of low-lying islands in the Indian Ocean,

According to the World Bank, the entire country could become submerged by 2100 due to rising sea levels, while 80% could become uninhabitable due to global warming.
The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

When it comes to sheer natural beauty, few things compare to the Great Barrier Reef. Spanning 348,700 square kilometres, this coral system is even larger than the entire state of Rajasthan.

However, this also makes the fact that 60% of the reef has been bleached to death all the more shocking. Marine heatwaves have triggered three mass coral bleaching events in just five years, while ocean acidification and horrible cyclones have caused significant, almost irreparable damage to the reef, reducing it to a mere shadow of its former glory.

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