Yay! It’s snowing on Mt. Kilimanjaro

by Jerry Guo on

The simple fact there was snow during the high season (which is this month and next) for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro was enough to warrant a front-page feature in this week’s travel section of the New York Times. Seeing the white-capped summit–the highest in Africa–is just part of a growing trend of “see it while it’s still there” tourism, which Aaron wrote about a few weeks ago.

Anyways, it turns out there was “several weeks of heavy rain and snow” right before the writer showed up. By the way, this was during last January, so perhaps our readers can update us on whether there’s any snow left this January. One of the Tanzanian guides on the trip had this to say about global warming at Mt. Kilimanjaro, “When I first started climbing, we had big snow, big glaciers. The glaciers were bigger and taller than now. And also, the weather changed. We had heavier rain than we have now.”

But here’s the trouble about climbing the summit to appreciate the mythic glaciers and snow-caps. On the writer’s trip, there were 11 American climbers, 3 Tanzanian guides, and 38 porters and cooks. That’s a rather big carbon footprint, dont’cha think?

If you’re still up for the trip, and I don’t blame you if you are, we’ve written about the logistics of getting there and picking a climbing outfit here.

When’s Bangladesh going to disappear?

by Jerry Guo on

The country’s the size of Iowa, but has half the population of the entire United States. Oh, and by the way, it could possibly be wiped out in the next century.

Here’s the thing: Bangladesh happens to be situated at sea level in a region of the world where flooding and monsoons are already a problem. As it stands, each year roughly half the country is under water at one point or another. But because of possible rising sea levels in the next 20 years (even a 20-centimeter rise) could devastate 10-million Bangladeshis.

We’ve heard of small island nations like Tuvalu (most famous for their Internet TLD: .TV) that are doomed to extinction if global warming pans out. But if the same thing happens to Bangladesh, that’s going to be more than a humanitarian disaster. They have a growing Islamic fundamentalist movement and a very weak government, which means the threat of less and less land (and more and more water) will undoubtedly destabilize the region.

As with many recent postings (a la Mt. Kilimanjaro), all this is to say visit Bangladesh soon, lest it be under water by the time you get around to it. Here’s a great analysis piece about Bangladesh and global warming in this month’s Atlantic.

Greenland’s newest tourist attraction: Water!

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s not so often that a radio station showcases a photo gallery. But times are changing and NPR is stepping up its already stellar website with some cool video and slide shows.

I point this out because of a recent story that NPR did on the melting of Greenland.

“So what,” you might say, “ice melts. But when ice melts in Greenland, the rest of the world needs to be concerned. According to the story, ocean levels will rise 20 feet if Greenland completely defrosts.

The good news, however, is that Greenland’s melting ice makes for some wonderful scenery and great tourist opportunities as warming temperatures create rivers and lakes where there were none before. And, it’s all eerily beautiful. That’s why NPR reverted to the visual medium to share some amazing shots of this newly born, crystal clear water that has been trapped for centuries in an enormous ice sheet.

Armageddon never looked so good!

Better book those diving trips fast

by Jerry Guo on

This week’s issue of Science is devoted to coral reefs, specifically the dire condition they’re in and the dangers they face. Not sure if anyone else here reads the magazine as religiously as me (give me a shout-out if you do), but they do a great job in highlighting the fast-eroding plight of the world’s coral.

Did you know that global warming, disease, and humans have already destroyed 20% of the world’s coral reef? At the same time, coral generates $30 billion annually through tourism and fisheries. And it’s predicted that the rest of the reefs may collapse in two decades.

Indeed, coral is one of the most overlooked victims of climate change–polar bears are just more cuddly, what can I say. But I think they’re finally showing up on the international agenda. I’m still conflicted whether tourism will help preserve these wonderful underwater paradises. What do you guys think?

(The Science articles are behind a subscription wall)

Welcome to Tulip Island

by Brett Atkinson on

The threat of rising sea-levels is getting a few people excited as they plan and plot new artificial islands. Then again it could just be canny developers with an eye on making megabucks.

The go-ahead Arab supercity of Dubai is leading the pack with developments like the Palms and the World, but now the idea is taking hold in perennially low-lying countries like the Netherlands.

A new island is being planned off the Dutch coast which will be in the shape of a tulip. I guess they could have plumped for a giant windmill or a huge bottle of Heineken, but a tulip is still undeniably Dutch.

What’s next? A giant kangaroo off the coast of Aussie’s Great Barrier Reef, or a yellow taxi with room for tens of thousands of passengers flagged down in the Hudson River?

Thanks to Marshall Astor on Flickr for the pic.