Climate Change

Some Destinations More Popular With Climate Change

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Now that spring is here and school kids will soon be on break, it's a popular time of year to travel, but according to travel experts certain destinations are becoming more popular because of our changing climate.

There is no question that our world is in a period of warming and with climate predictions of even warmer times ahead, travelers are opting for climate sensitive destinations before its too late.

"It's quite an undertaking to climb... it is quite physically challenging."

Jack Steadman just returned from a trip to Mount Kilimanjaro concerned about our changing climate he wanted to see the glacial peak before the snows disappear. "It's capped with snow and glaciers... you take that away... it will be a very different place to be at the top of Africa."

"A lot of experts are saying the snowcap covering Kilimanjaro would be gone by 2020," said Ann Banas, executive editor for SmarterTravel.com. "Climate change is one of the factors that are helping to degrade some of our natural and manmade wonders."

Like the glaciers in Alaska and island nations close to sea level. "The Maldives are sinking and experts are predicting that the island could be completely submerged by the end of the century," said Banas.

Venice could look different in the decades to come too. "A lot of people are saying that hey we want to go see these places," said Banas. "We want to be able to at least enjoy the beauty before all we have left is a photograph."

And the list is long. "Places like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the reefs in Mexico are very affected."

From coral bleaching due to warmer water. "If you want to go see polar bears this is a good time to go before they go too far north or they are just not there anymore."

But there is a catch. "Traveling to see endangered destinations is a double edged sword," said Banas. "People have to understand that the very act of traveling to these destinations is contributing factor to their degradation."

So Banas suggests acting responsibly with your tourism dollars opting for what is called sustainable travel.

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