10 Cities That Could Disappear in Next 30 Years
It’s easy to take cities for granted. They’re big and beautiful and home to thousands, sometimes millions, of people. We just assume they’ll always be there when we want to visit. But things couldn’t be further from the truth.
The climate is changing, and some of the prettiest cities on the planet are slated to be wiped out by earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, all within the next 30 years. If weather alone doesn’t do it, some cities are facing economic ruin that will send them into an abyss there’s no climbing out of.
Here’s our list of the Top 10 Cities That Will Disappear In The Next 30 Years. Better visit them now while you still can.
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Miami, Florida, USA: Climate change is a serious thing, and it’s causing Miami to disappear. It’s not completely surprising, given how many hurricanes used to hit Miami even before global warming came along, but now that it’s here, the hurricanes have gotten worse and the water levels have grown deeper. One day soon, Miami might disappear beneath the ocean altogether.
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Venice, Italy: Venice is sinking, and it has been for over 1,000 years. Every year, this beautiful city drops a little deeper, and one day it might disappear forever. Just 100 years ago, Venice was flooded about 9 times per year. Today, that number has risen to 100 times per year. The government has been working on plans to save Venice, but is it already too late?
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Moore, Oklahoma, USA: With the population of Moore, Oklahoma being just over 55,000, not many people have even heard of this city. The problem with Moore is that it sits smack in the middle of Tornado Alley. Every year, Moore is inundated with tornadoes. It has faced destruction multiple times, and they always rebuild, but will rebuilding finally become impossible?
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Mexico City, Mexico: People don’t often realize that Mexico City was built on a dried-up lakebed. And guess what? That lakebed is sinking. Think of it as one giant sinkhole waiting to happen. Over the last 100 years, the sinking has been slow and steady, but scientists have noticed a big jump as of late. By the time they figure out how to stop it, will they still be able to?
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Los Angeles, CA, USA: Rumors about Los Angeles falling into the ocean has been around for decades. Turns out they might actually be true. The land is slowly being covered by water, and there are no signs that it will stop. Add to that the earthquakes the city is known for, and you get a dangerous combination.
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Timbuktu, Mali: The good news is that Timbuktu isn’t sinking. The bad news is that it’s getting buried in the sand. This ancient city once stood on rich, fertile land, but all that has since changed. The sand has taken over, and even its beaches are getting swallowed up by it. Not too far in the future, this city may be covered in sand entirely.
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Savannah, Georgia, USA: It’s beautiful, charming, and about to be covered by water. Savanna is a historic city that draws thousands of tourists every year, but it might not be there much longer. See, Savanna doesn’t have the luxury of losing an inch or two of land that other cities have. Just an extra 3 feet of water will bury the city. It’s just a matter of when.
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Bangkok, Thailand: Bangkok has a twofold problem—it’s a city is sinking at the exact time that water levels are rising. Some building foundations are already underwater and drained daily. The government isn’t too worried though. The city won’t sink tomorrow, so they figure they’ve got time. But if they wait too long, they’re bound to run out, probably faster than they think.
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Honolulu, Hawaii, USA: The tides are rising for everyone and, according to experts, Honolulu is likely to get hit the hardest. Just a one-inch rise in sea level is enough to change the shoreline, not a lot, but enough to be noticed. A one-foot rise in sea level though? Honolulu will never look the same again. In time, the island could completely disappear.
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Ivanovo, Russia: Sadly, the only problem with Ivanovo is that its economy has been in serious decline for a number of years. The once-thriving city is now home to drug addicts and criminals. It has an extremely high mortality rate combined with an ultra-low birthrate. A bad combination for a city trying to survive. Soon enough, Ivanovo won’t be able to.
So what do you think? Are there any cities on our list you can’t wait to visit? Any you want to avoid it? Remember, your time with them is limited. If you want to see them, do it now. Wait too long, and they might be gone by the time you get there. Just be careful when you visit, we wouldn’t want them sinking into the ocean while you’re there.
If you do go to one of these places, make sure to take lots of pictures so you can show your kids and grandkids what they looked like. Chances are they’ll be gone by the time they’re old enough to go there themselves. And mark your travels on a Newverest map. That way even when these cities disappear, their memories will live on through you. You won’t even have to guess where they used to be, just look at your Newverest map and you’ll know.
