10 Beaches at Risk of Disappearing
GettyKoh Tachai, Thailand
Thailand is famous for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the world—and no matter you're style of traveling, chances are there's the perfect beach for you somewhere in the country. But some Thai islands have proven just too popular. Last year, the Thai government had to ban tourism on Koh Tachai in an effort to combat coral bleaching and degradation to the coastline caused by unsustainable tourist numbers. (Huge crowds can erode beaches, and with them inevitably comes a tremendous amount of trash.) Faced with either closing it or losing the beach permanently, Thailand’s decision shines a spotlight on the need for eco-friendly tourism.
GettySaint Lucia
Rising sea levels and increasingly frequent storms are already touching many parts of the tourism-dependent Caribbean, harming its poorest and most vulnerable residents. When it comes to beach erosion, some nations are experiencing it worse than others: Nearly two decades ago, a World Bank disaster risk management team started to work with St. Lucia’s government to counter erosion and rebuild beaches already in the process of disappearing. By building offshore structures to break up waves and capture sand, they worked to restore the country's beaches. The initiative has been hailed as a possible model for other Caribbean nations willing to join the long-term battle of coping with coastal erosion.
GettyBig Sur, California
Tourists were scarce and local residents forced to take wide detours in early 2017, after a massive mudslide rocked this rugged stretch of California coastline, caused by heavy rainfall during the wettest season on record. Parts of the Pacific Coast Highway, including a damaged bridge, were closed indefinitely, cutting Big Sur off from the rest of the country. It was not the first rain-related mudslide to isolate a part of this highway, either; a half-hour south, one section has been closed for at least a year. And though no guests were hurt, local hotels have had cabins wiped out and been forced to lay off staff. For now, the future is unclear, but the economic hit is real.
GettyRio de Janeiro, Brazil
Climate experts have predicted that Rio will be the South American city most hurt by climate change. Warming ocean temperatures and sea level rise, coupled with much of the city’s low income population living in flood-vulnerable housing, could result in catastrophe. Disease is a concern, as are water shortages, landslides, and beach loss. Rio is trying to protect and adapt and the government is asking all global leaders to do the same; at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in 2016, the host stated that the world's population must do what they can to stop climate change.
GettyThe Maldives
The documentary The Island President chronicles the story of the then-president of the Maldives, as he contends with climate change in the world’s lowest-lying nation. The country is made up of over 1,100 islands in the Indian Ocean, and those islands are on average only 1.3 meters above sea level. If—or when—the sea rises three feet, this Indian Ocean archipelago known for turquoise lagoons and teeming reefs will be uninhabitable. The country is already witnessing the effects of debilitating erosion and flooding, in turn losing some of the tourism dollars it relies on to pay for much-needed conservation efforts.
AlamyTacloban, Philippines
Five of the 10 deadliest typhoons in this archipelago’s history have hit since 2006. There was Haiyan in 2013, one of the strongest storms ever to land; and Nina, on Christmas Day 2016. These storms, whose frequency is linked to a warming climate, kill people, leave others homeless, flatten cities, destroy protective coral reefs, cost astronomical amounts of money, and deeply impact tourism—often the main source of income for otherwise isolated islands. The Global Climate Risk Index 2015 ranks the Philippines, home to some of the most beautiful islands in the world like Palawan, as the most affected country by climate change, thanks, in part, to its geography. And yet, life goes on. Tacloban, which was originally said to be completely destroyed by Haiyan, has slowly been rebuilt and coral colonies are being planted.
GettyKiritimati, Kiribati
Scientists say Kiribati, a tiny island nation located roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia in the Pacific Ocean, is drowning. Comprised of 33 remote low-lying atolls and coral islands with an average elevation of less than seven feet, some of its population has already moved to higher ground as part of a government-orchestrated slow evacuation, fishermen are being retrained in various skills so they can still work if forced to emigrate, and the entire country may move to Fiji if necessary (Kiribati's government bought about 8 square miles of land there back in 2014, just in case). In 2016, the reefs around Kiritimati, the largest coral atoll in the world, experienced an unheard of mass die-off related to abnormally warm water temperatures. Researchers say about 80 percent of all of its corals are now dead—one of the world’s worst coral bleaching events to date.
GettyMiami Beach, Florida
There are more than a few residents of Florida, including a notable politician or two, who contend that climate change is a hoax, despite the fact that the rate of sea-level rise in South Florida has tripled over the last decade. In Miami, Collins Avenue is regularly flooded during high tide, but this popular city on a barrier island isn’t giving in to the tide just yet. Instead, it’s throwing considerable amounts of cash at building streets and seawalls higher, adding pump stations, and generally being hailed as a leader in climate adaption and resiliency.
GettySylt Island, Germany
As global temperatures rise, Europeans are scouting cooler alternatives to their favorite Mediterranean beach destinations. This is part of why Sylt Island in the North Sea is having a moment. It’s got it all: expansive sandy beaches, spas, golf, water sports galore, Michelin-starred restaurants, and nature reserves. The surrounding Wadden Sea is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But none of this makes it immune to weather, and storms are becoming more extreme, frequent, and violent. In 2015, one wiped out part of a southern beach and flattened high dunes, despite protective concrete block barriers. Scientists are currently working to keep the southern tip of the island from disappearing entirely.
GettyTorres Strait Islands, Australia
Seafront living loses its signature appeal when tides routinely flood your family home. This is the current reality for some of the 8,000 residents of the over 200 islands and coral cays that make up the remote and seemingly untouched, yet sinking, Torres Strait Islands, located between Australia and the island of New Guinea. Extreme weather and erosion is now the norm, especially on the lowest-lying islands of Saibai, Masig, Boigu, Iama, and Warraber. Adaption and attempts at constructing protective measures like sea walls are expensive, and the islands have limited funds. Other Pacific island dwellers, like those on Vanuatu’s Torres Islands chain have already been forced to move to higher ground.