You would think that with global warming, rising sea levels, destruction of natural ecosystems and the quickly disappearing rain forests, now is the time to travel across the planet before some of nature’s most spectacular sites and man made wonders disintegrate and wither away to obscurity.

It is the growing global unrest regarding world’s pollution rate and carbon emissions that is each year triggering more and more journeys to exotic and rare destinations as people fear that if they do not see it now, then they will never see it again. It is pretty difficult to argue against that logic, but the problem here is that this has started a vicious cycle where more damage is done to these special tourist attractions due to greater carbon emissions and waste accumulation as a result of growing tourism.

As hard as it might be to admit for the planet-lover, even his journey halfway across the planet to spend some time on the exotic beaches of South East Asia or enjoy the magnificence of the mighty Grand Canyon causes significant damage to the planet. There are many places in the world that stand as a symbol to this problem. One cross country flight can emit a ton of carbon gases, a drive in a car is all the more polluting if you are using an old and inefficient vehicle and while trains are conceivably the best option, the electricity they run on comes at a cost as well. A simple and objective look at the places most affected by excessive and sometimes irresponsible tourism, tells a story in itself.

#1 Great Barrier Reef, Australia

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This is a story that is all too famous in the last couple of decades. After television and great underwater cameras brought the best out of the reef, tourism flourished in this part of Australia. With growing concerns that global warming, increasing ocean acidity levels and greater pollution leading to drastic depletion of the reef, greater number of enthusiasts flocked to the place to get a glimpse before everything is being wiped out.

Despite the best efforts of authorities, not only did the reef get directly affected with this human meddling, but tons of CO2 was spilled into the air from all those flights to Australia. Even today, everyone wants to go to the Great Barrier Reef at least once; not that there is anything wrong about that, but this mad rush might only be leading to a faster death of the reef’s riches!

#2 A voyage to Antarctica

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Global temperature increase, melting of ice caps leading to new paths and warmer and less hostile conditions along with better technology has meant that trips to the Antarctic are the coolest attractions of modern tourism. But all this prodding into the heart of the Southern Pole has only lead to greater disturbance and polluting of delicate local climate patterns. Leaving behind plastic trash and even an odd accidental shipwreck means more of a disaster for this pristine white land. But that is not stopping the tourism companies who are today running more voyages to Antarctica than ever before.

#3 Tracking the damage of trekking in the Himalayas

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The Himalayas are the mystical and magical home of the planet and are renowned for their unsurpassed beauty and eternal charm. But, being located in the most populous region of the world and exposed to trekking trips and adventure tourism that has led to tons of plastic waste left behind means that this rare ecosystem is now feeling the affects of pollution from indiscriminate tourism. With the Indian sub-continent not very high on eco-tourism and with greater number of visitors driving in each year and the Himalayan glaciers melting at a greater pace, it seems that the region is only headed for the worst.

#4 Breathtaking beaches of South East Asia

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Places like Mauritius, Fiji, Bali and the many other hundreds of islands in this region of the world see huge tourist traffic each year. Apart from the obvious fact that all that travel is further adding plenty of CO2 that melts the polar ice caps and raises sea levels which threaten these very tropical paradises, but the plastic waste on their beaches and the destruction of the small tropical forest pockets for commercial use makes the matter worse. The tourism industry, which is the major money-spinner for the region is the double edged sword that is also contributing to its slow death!

#5 Great Smoky Mountain National Park, USA

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This is considered by many as one of the best, most visible and apparent examples of how spewing of gases from vehicles, constant tourist traffic and overwhelming attention can deteriorate a place of great natural majesty into a fast degenerating ecosystem. Responsible tourism has been now introduced in the region, but constant inflow of tourists sometimes becomes too hard to monitor even for the most stringent law enforcers.

#6 Pyramids of Giza, Statue of Liberty and Taj Mahal

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While they are structures of man-made brilliance, the renowned symbols of human artistry and toil are also feeling the pinch of pollution with their beauty, color and grandeur constantly being chipped away due to air pollution. While tourism may not have a visible direct impact on them, polluting the local air with vehicular emissions only worsens the situation for these monuments.

#7 Snow-clad peaks of Europe

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The European Alps are known for offering the most spectacular holiday destinations, romantic cocoons and skiing slopes with the very best quality. This caused a mad rush towards Europe and the manifold boom in tourism has actually left the region a lot more polluted, with diminishing ice caps and reduced snow. While the local tourism industry is now taking care to reverse the trend, these snow-filled slopes are so very popular across the globe that it is hard to not buckle the trend.

It is hard to tell people to stop traveling altogether since there isn’t a viable option yet. The best way to go is to ensure that your trip has a “carbon offset” option and also to make sure that it is as green as possible. Changes like greener vehicles, cleaner fuels and more responsible travel should also help immensely, but that is not always something in a traveler’s hand. What you can do though is to throw as little trash and plastic around wherever you go and opt for the greenest possible options.

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