During the session, participants of #TRENS20 have been asked to reflect on a landscape they really like. Most of their favorite places are currently endangered by different factors such as global warming, ocean level rise, ice melting, over tourism or fast erosion.
We need to protect the areas we love if we want future generations to be able to enjoy them as well. Tackling these problems with sustainable solution is a way of stopping these landscape changes.
A project by Marine David (FR)
Ice-melting and warmer winters
Jarna – auroras in Lapland
Lapland is mainly known for its aurora and herds of reindeer. However, these latter Lapland is mainly known for its aurora and herds of reindeer. However, the latter are currently threatened by climate change. More precisely, warming winters are transforming snow into ice layers and has as consequence the fact that reindeer can’t break the ice anymore and thus access to the lichen, their only food during winter.
Gabbatiss, Josh. “Climate change in Lapland: The impact of global warming in the land of Santa Claus.”
Independent (2017)
Andre – Engadin, Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps offer breathtaking view especially during winter when they are snowy. However, alpine glaciers have lost between 20% and 30% of their volume since 1980 because of climate change. In addition, during the winter, snow is transforming into rain and thus, does not permit to stock water that would then melt during the summer to supply rivers. As a result, the Alps risk losing their role of being the “water tank of Europe” with the 60 billion cubic meters of water stored in its glaciers, which usually fulfill a balancing function of releasing water exactly when needed, while storing it in periods when we need it less.
“The Alps: Europe’s cherished but endangered mountains”
European Commission, 2017. (https://bit.ly/39GLW7E)
Ray Smith, “Alpine glacier retreat pushing Europe closer to water crisis”
The Guardian, 2011. (https://bit.ly/2FmQMsK)
Over Tourism
Jana – Albufera, valencia, Spain
In 17 years, international tourism arrival has doubled in the region of Valencia, coming from 4.24 million in 2000, to 8.92 in 2017. Over tourism is defined by the World Tourism Organization as: “the impact of tourism on a destination, or parts thereof, that excessively influences perceived quality of life of citizens and/or quality of visitor experiences in a negative way”. In other words, over tourism has an impact on local population’s life -noise pollution, air pollution, congestion, overuse of resources and infrastructures-, but also on the environment itself -degradation of the landscapes, excess of literary or endangerment of animal species.
Gabbatiss, Josh. “Climate change in Lapland: The impact of global warming in the land of Santa Claus.”
European Parliament, 2018. (https://bit.ly/2N2ySQf)
A. Díaz, “Annual number of international tourists visiting the Region of Valencia between 2000 and 2017“
Statista, 2018. (https://bit.ly/2QxzM9L)
Roberto – Malaga, Spain
As an answer to over tourism, we can simply choose to spread to other cities for our holidays. Although the planet offers a surface area of 500 million km², people only traveling to a very small proportion of it. As the city of Barcelona is suffering from over tourism, people could also decide to visit other cities of Spain. For instance, the Andalusian city of Malaga which faces the Moroccan coastal area has a lot of touristic assets including nice beaches, Mediterranean climate, numerous museums and cultural and historic places.
Greg Dickinson, “The places suffering from ‘undertourism’, according to you“
The Telegraph, 2019. (https://bit.ly/2QtkR03)
Mark Jones, “These are this year’s most ‘undertouristed’ places”
Independent, 2019. (https://bit.ly/2QrtYhP)
Frederico – Rome, Terrazzo del Pincio
Just as Venice is flooding with tourism, Rome’s is at risk of damage because of mass tourism on the most famous sites of the antique city. Although this influx of tourism is profitable for the city and the country where the tourism sector represents 12% of the gross domestic product and 13% of Italian jobs, it does however decrease the quality of life of local people as well as the survival of the cultural heritage of Italy. The city is mostly affected by mass tourism during the summer season when tourism is at its annual peak. Consequently, an anti-tourism movement has been growing in Italy including Venice, Rome or the towns of Cinque Terre, leading locals’ populations to protest again overcrowding and how it affects their living conditions.
Geoff Whitmore, “5 Destinations Suffering From Overtourism (And Where To Go Instead)”
Forbes, 2019. (https://bit.ly/2uki9RT)
Ocean level rise
Noora – Maldives
The Maldives islands are famous for their paradise island with their white sand beaches and sky-blue seas. These archipelago of almost 400 000 inhabitants is however threatened by ocean level rise. The country mostly composed of low-lying atoll islands may go unlivable by the middle of the century. Indeed, as polar ice is melting and so, ocean levels are rising, thousands of islands are going to suffer from flooding from storms and extreme winds, resulting in lack of freshwater and damage to infrastructure. The Maldives are indeed standing at the front line of the battle of climate change, being one of the most vulnerable countries on the planet. Sea level is therefore projected to increase within 10 centimetres to one meter by the year 2100, meaning that the archipelago may be flooded.
“Climate Change in the Maldives“
The World Bank, 2010. (https://bit.ly/2N06sqc)
Josh Gabbatiss, “Rising sea levels could make thousands of islands from the Maldives to Hawaii ‘uninhabitable within decades”
Independent, 2018. (https://bit.ly/2s3Vwk6)
Miguel – Azores ilha de São Miguel
São Miguel is the biggest and most populated island of the portuguese archipelos of Azores. Located in the Atlantic Ocean, the island is offering amazing landscapes and breath keeping view. However, as sea-level rise is accelerating because of global warming, rising by about 20 centimetres since 1870, it is now planning to rise by another meter or more by the end of the century. This may affect islands as well as local populations where survival conditions may turn really difficult. Around 58% of the population of Sao Miguel island is now at risk, making this island of the Azores.
Marta Aguiar, Margarida Santos, Ana Oliveira, Luísa Magalhães, Fernando Pereira, “Impact of Sea-Level Rise in the Azores Islands. Prospective Analysis Based on Current Projections”
Springer, 2020. (https://bit.ly/2QtywV3)
“Spotlight on sea-level rise”
European Space Agency, 2018. (https://bit.ly/36wn7sX)
Alma – Turku archipelago, Utö island, Finland
Utö is the most southerly inhabited island in Finland, located in the Baltic Sea. This island offer amazing landscapes especially during evenings. However, as for the Azores and the Maldives, as sea level is rising, the Island is engendered.
Global warming & agriculture
Luka – Langhe
The Langhe region and some of its vineyard are classified on the on the UNESCO world heritage list. In addition, wine is an integral part of Italian gastronomy and culture. Although grapes are grown worldwide, the best wine grape production happen in slight climate ranges. As a result, Winemakers in some of Italy’s most prominent regions have to adapt to climate change for protecting the standard of the world-famous wines.
Michelle Renée Mozell, “The impact of climate change on the global wine industry: Challenges & solutions”
Wine Economics and Policy, Volume 3, Issue 2, December 2014, Pages 81-89 (https://bit.ly/36x1OYn)
Sylvia Poggioli, “Italy Winemakers Look To Adapt To Climate Change”
National Public Radio, 2019. (https://n.pr/37Kw8z8)
Matti – Los Carneros American Vitéicultural Area
This famous image, Bliss, is a green hill and blue sky with clouds in the Los Carneros American Viticultural Area of California’s Wine Country. As every viticulture area, this landscape can also be affected by climate change. In addition, the climate is one of the key factors in vineyard agriculture. Therefore, it affects the suitability of a few grape varieties in a particular area and also as the type and quality of the wine that is going to be produced from these grapes. These effects due to climate change are expected being more noticeable in the northern hemisphere and will affect the producers’ margins and suitability for grape growing in some areas.
“Effects of climate change on wine production”
Wikipedia (https://bit.ly/2QuVPhh)
Fraga, H., Malheiro, AC, Moutinho-Pereira, J., Santos, JA, “Climate factors driving wine production in the Portuguese Minho region”
Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2014, 185: 26 – 36
Erosion
Niki – White cliffs of Dover
White cliffs of Dover are cliffs in Great Britain facing North of France coasts. The cliffs are also mentioned in many artistic works and have inspired some others. However, these cliffs are more and more threatened by soil erosion. This phenomenon can be indirectly affected by rising temperature in many ways.
“Climate change and coastal erosion”
British Geological Survey, (https://bit.ly/37HlA3s)
“Impacts of climate change on water erosion: A review”
Earth-Science Reviews, Volume 163, December 2016, Pages 94-117. (https://bit.ly/2QuxBUs)
“Climate Adaptation and Erosion & Sedimentation”
Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center (ARC-X) (https://bit.ly/2SXHs6H)
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