7 Attractions and Destinations Soon to Be Gone

The Dead Sea

Water from the Dead Sea, known for its healing powers, could evaporate in the next 50 years, with the surface level dropping by more than a metre every year.

The Great Wall of China

Natural erosion and man-made problems (graffiti, bricks with historic engravings being sold off…) have already taken its toll. It’s estimated that as much as two-thirds of the wall has disappeared.

The Everglades

Hydrological developments are disrupting the water flow and leading to the National Park shrinking to almost a quarter of its initial size.

Mount Kilimanjaro

The iconic ice cap atop Kilimanjaro’s Kibo summit is shrinking at a rapid pace. The cap is estimated to have shrunk by 80% since the early 1900s and is predicted to have gone completely by 2033.

Machu Picchu

The amount of people visiting Machu Picchu has had to be limited to 2,500 people a day to prevent damage to the ruins. The building of a railway line to the top of mountain has caused further damage, and it also lies directly on the Tambomachay Fault, so could be hit by an earthquake.

Mont Blanc

The Alpine glaciers are shrinking at an alarming rate and are predicted by some to disappear as early as 2050 as the effects of global warming take their toll. Mont Blanc itself has shrunk more than 45cm in the last few years.

The Taj Mahal

At just under 400 years old, the age of the Taj Mahal is starting to show, and cars have been banned from the area to curb pollution. Air pollution and the number of visitors are affecting the walls of the building, and the falling water levels of the nearby Yamuna River are also having an impact on the wooden foundations.