Sunday, March 22, 2015

11 Natural Wonders to See Before They Are Gone

Global warming may transform these places beyond recognition

March 20, 2015 |By David Biello

Global warming is already transforming some of the places humans hold most dear.
*Credit: Daniel Nepstad*

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11 Natural Wonders to See Before They Are Gone [Slide Show]

The world changes a little faster these days. As concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere tick up year over year, more and more of the sun's heat gets trapped. That heat affects the planet in a variety of ways: raising global average temperatures, melting ice, increasing downpours, lengthening droughts and more. And this global warming is already transforming some of the places humans hold most dear.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization keeps a list of what it deems world heritage sites: human-made or natural places of "outstanding universal value," from the Palace of Versailles in France to the Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh. There are more than 1,000 such places now—and many of them may be changed beyond recognition by global warming.

>>View slide show of natural wonders threatened by climate change