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Catch them while you can Some of the world’s great natural phenomena are vanishing fast, as Roderick Eime warns. THE world is changing, and it’s happening right before our eyes. Whether you choose to engage in the climate change and carbon emission debates is one thing but, while you’re talking, some of the world’s scenic and natural marvels are vanishing fast. Better get your skates on.
That melting feeling GLACIERS are things of great power and wonder. These enormous continent-scrapers carve and form our valleys, creating beautiful landforms in a truly awe-inspiring, if somewhat slowpaced, spectacle. But they’re vanishing — and fast. The Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier, in southern Greenland, was at a virtual standstill just 10 years ago; now it’s rocketing along at 14km a year, dumping millions of cubic metres of ancient ice into the North Atlantic; it won’t be replaced in our lifetimes. Air Greenland now flies to the former US Air Force base right next to the glacier, where you can sit with a picnic lunch and watch icebergs calve off into the rapidly lengthening fjord. Or you can take one of the many Arctic cruise itineraries that visit this active calamity. Other glaciers include the many in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, South Georgia, New Zealand and the World Heritagelisted Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia. In company with this event is the reported retraction of the world’s polar icecap. Currently, tourists are travelling there in the world’s largest icebreaker, Russia’s 25,000-tonne, nuclear-powered Yamal. At a cool $25,000, it’s a regular sell-out. The highlight is the great polar ice dance, where passengers and crew form a huge circle and dance around the pole. According to Al Gore, they’ll be doing it in kayaks soon. Polar bears are finding the going tough and are literally treading on thin ice. The world’s largest terrestrial carnivores rely on substantial ice cover to hunt their traditional prey of harp seals. The shortage of sea ice has some experts predicting the extinction of polar bears before the end of this century. The most
popular locations for polar-bear viewing are Churchill, Alaska and Spitsbergen, north of Norway. Sorry, Sea World doesn’t count.
Fade to white EVERY year, about two million visitors travel to the world’s largest living structure: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. While marvelling at the 2000 species of fish inhabiting its 2000km mass, they snorkel, dive and frolic in the crystal-clear waters, kicking around $6 billion into Australia’s economy. Although protected by both UNESCO’s World Heritage Treaty and Australia’s own Marine Park legislation, the Reef is crying out for help. ‘‘Rising sea temperatures increase the frequency of mass coral bleaching events,’’ explains Eric Matson, a research scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science. ‘‘Corals live only one or two degrees below their upper thermal limit, and sustained periods of water temperatures above this threshold stresses the coral and the symbiotic algae (the essential
❛ No matter how many hybrid cars we buy
or low-watt light globes we install, we will lose these marvellous jewels of our planet. And probably sooner rather than later ❜ partner for reef-building corals) are expelled.’’ The range of operators offering reef adventures is enormous and, by current reckoning, the Great Barrier Reef is as good as it will ever be, so grab your snorkel.
Tides of change WITH all the world’s glaciers dumping great ice chunks into the ocean, the tide is about to come in — right in. Already there are reports of some extremely low-lying islands disappearing, such as two complete islands among Bangladesh’s Sundarbans, home to one of the largest populations of the endangered Bengal tiger and inscribed in 1997 as a World Heritage site.
The entire populations of island nations such as Tuvalu are already preparing to evacuate as the little country slowly slips beneath the waves. Popular tourist destinations such as the Seychelles, Kiribati and the Maldives are next. In an impassioned speech to the UN back in 1992, the president of the Maldives described his tiny homeland as ‘‘a distressed and endangered nation facing a looming environmental catastrophe’’. The Netherlands, that great seafaring nation and possible future ‘‘Atlantis’’, has already constructed enormous ocean walls in anticipation of the sea’s impending invasion. Fingers in the dyke wall, everyone.
Environmental voyeurism JUST as rubberneckers gather around the scene of a road smash, curious tourists are heading off in search of environmental calamity in the making. But as we might hope fellow drivers learn to wear seat belts or not text while driving when confronted by avoidable carnage, concerned travellers can bring home the message of this impact on our precious natural heritage. The sad postscript, unfortunately, is that no matter how many hybrid cars we buy or lowwatt light globes we install, we will lose these marvellous jewels of our planet. And probably sooner rather than later. So pack your bags, take the kids and catch the finale before it’s too late. Latecomers will not be admitted.
‘‘If the glaciers are coming towards us at like an inch a year, then you’d think our government would have time to respond’’ – Jay Leno
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www.sundaytelegraph.com.au THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH escape February 10, 2008 3