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100 Places to Go Before They Disappear
What would our world look like if the planet's average temperature were to rise by only a few degrees? Venice, Bangkok, London, Chicago, and New York would experience severe flooding. The tea fields of Sri Lanka and the vineyards of France would suffer heat and drought. Beijing and Timbuktu would be transformed into deserts, and the Great Barrier Reef's coral colonies would die. The entire nation of Tuvalu would sink into the Pacific Ocean.
As plants and animals vital to local ecosystems continue to perish due to climate change, the face of our planet is already being transformed. 100 Places to Go Before They Disappear features the locations on all seven continents in the greatest danger of disappearing within our lifetime. With an essay by Desmond Tutu, this stunning book will inspire travelers and environmentalists to save gorgeous places that might soon be only a memory.
As plants and animals vital to local ecosystems continue to perish due to climate change, the face of our planet is already being transformed. 100 Places to Go Before They Disappear features the locations on all seven continents in the greatest danger of disappearing within our lifetime. With an essay by Desmond Tutu, this stunning book will inspire travelers and environmentalists to save gorgeous places that might soon be only a memory.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2011
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84 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
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February 10, 2015Climate change today. Everyone should take a look at this book.
October 19, 2011
This is the quintessencial book for people of my age. Just the concept that so many kinds of places are disappearing. I'm glad for the ones I've seen and eager for the ones I have yet to see.
May 8, 2020
If only I could rate it less then one star. Like...minus stars.
Over and out.
Over and out.
September 17, 2016
I love travel and visiting interesting places that are off the beaten track. I spend hours browsing travel photography and information books looking for inspiration on my next adventures. This is what I was expecting from this, a little gem, hopefully that would become one of my favourites in my collection. I was, however very disappointed in it.
When reading it, it turned into a nag basically at how the human race has damaged the world we live in and things like Global Warming and other things are making the world change and as a consequence a lot of wonderful places will soon no longer exist. I found the book was a little heavy at times and not really what I was looking forward to at all.
The photography is hit and miss also in the book I found, some of the photographs are beautiful, while others look like they could have been taken by an amateur and didn't really feel that they 'fit' in the book.
Some of the places highlighted in the book were unexpected such as 'Chicago' that perhaps initially you wouldn't have thought would be vulnerable. So the book did have an element of surprise for me, but unfortunately I found most of it was just a moan at how awful people are.
There are many very good 'coffee table' books out there and this is not one of them. It is smaller than expected and for me too deep. This will sit on my bookshelves, but I don't think I will be picking it up for some time. Perhaps I misinterpreted the book before I started reading it, but it was not what I expected at all and was just so disappointed it didn't live up to my expectations. Saying this, this book might be exactly what someone is looking for and love it. Don't get me wrong, this is very well researched and includes some background information on places. But it's not for me.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
When reading it, it turned into a nag basically at how the human race has damaged the world we live in and things like Global Warming and other things are making the world change and as a consequence a lot of wonderful places will soon no longer exist. I found the book was a little heavy at times and not really what I was looking forward to at all.
The photography is hit and miss also in the book I found, some of the photographs are beautiful, while others look like they could have been taken by an amateur and didn't really feel that they 'fit' in the book.
Some of the places highlighted in the book were unexpected such as 'Chicago' that perhaps initially you wouldn't have thought would be vulnerable. So the book did have an element of surprise for me, but unfortunately I found most of it was just a moan at how awful people are.
There are many very good 'coffee table' books out there and this is not one of them. It is smaller than expected and for me too deep. This will sit on my bookshelves, but I don't think I will be picking it up for some time. Perhaps I misinterpreted the book before I started reading it, but it was not what I expected at all and was just so disappointed it didn't live up to my expectations. Saying this, this book might be exactly what someone is looking for and love it. Don't get me wrong, this is very well researched and includes some background information on places. But it's not for me.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
May 9, 2013
As you can probably tell from the title, this book is about one-hundred different places in the world that are disappearing—that are endangered in some way, by pollution, population, overfishing, poverty, or neglect. They include sparsely-populated islands, indigenous Siberian nomad land, the location of the world’s oldest tree (Sweden), ecologically-unstable reefs from around the world, and polluted oceans. None of this information is overwhelming, and it most of the book is made up of amazing photographs showing each location. This was very well-researched, and every place has a small soundbite of the area’s history and its current state.
This book isn’t a depressing book about the devastation of nature around the world. The photographs are breathtaking. There are gorgeous shots of the moving sand dunes in Namibia, castles in Spain, and Australian wetlands. I’ve never heard of some of these places, and I was fascinated in all of the different cultures featured (e.g. Mongolian nomads, Saimi tribes in Norway, sea gypsies in Myanmar, San tribes in Namibia). This is definitely one of the coolest, most informative books I’ve ever read.
The only problem is that now I want to travel to all of these places.
This book isn’t a depressing book about the devastation of nature around the world. The photographs are breathtaking. There are gorgeous shots of the moving sand dunes in Namibia, castles in Spain, and Australian wetlands. I’ve never heard of some of these places, and I was fascinated in all of the different cultures featured (e.g. Mongolian nomads, Saimi tribes in Norway, sea gypsies in Myanmar, San tribes in Namibia). This is definitely one of the coolest, most informative books I’ve ever read.
The only problem is that now I want to travel to all of these places.
June 3, 2011
If global warming prognosticators are remotely correct (and many think the IPCC studies are conservative in their predictions) then many areas will be affected by either submirsion of desertion and certainly not accessible or inhabitable the way they are today. From the Scheyelles to the Great Barrier Reef’s coral colonies will be greatly altered by the effect of climate change.
This book, with an ample supply of incredible, often double-truck photos, “100 Places” covers areas from the North Pole to the depths of the Congo Jungle that will certainly be affected in the coming years. Covering both the obvious (the barely above sea level, 1,200 tropical islands of the Maldives) to the obscure (the Vava’us in the Kingdom of Tonga), the book is a direct connection to dozens of rare places whose basic existance is threatened by the industrial age. While there are thousands of travel books, few, if any, highlight locations of pre-extinction the wat “100 Places” does. With a look and style resembling a National Geographic project, “100 Places” is a worthy addition to any travel bookshelf and one whose recommedations simply won’t wait.
This book, with an ample supply of incredible, often double-truck photos, “100 Places” covers areas from the North Pole to the depths of the Congo Jungle that will certainly be affected in the coming years. Covering both the obvious (the barely above sea level, 1,200 tropical islands of the Maldives) to the obscure (the Vava’us in the Kingdom of Tonga), the book is a direct connection to dozens of rare places whose basic existance is threatened by the industrial age. While there are thousands of travel books, few, if any, highlight locations of pre-extinction the wat “100 Places” does. With a look and style resembling a National Geographic project, “100 Places” is a worthy addition to any travel bookshelf and one whose recommedations simply won’t wait.
March 14, 2013
A little heavy-handed at times, and I questioned some of the photos - there's a blurred image for the Sami people, for example, which I took to be a sled-dog at first. On closer inspection it seems to be a reindeer being captured?
Still, it accomplishes what it set out to do pretty well, and even better, ends with a more upbeat summary that encourages people to contribute to fighting climate change and provides the name of their website so that you can look at what you might do.
Still, it accomplishes what it set out to do pretty well, and even better, ends with a more upbeat summary that encourages people to contribute to fighting climate change and provides the name of their website so that you can look at what you might do.
August 16, 2011
I actually only skimmed it, and I think there were about 10 places I would even consider going.
August 23, 2011
Dang...it was kind of a bummer to see Chicago the list of places to go before they disappear, seeing as I live there and all.
December 14, 2011
I want to visit each and every one of these places, but most especially Antarctica.
November 27, 2011
good for the type of book it is
Want to read
January 4, 2012I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10364829
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10364829
March 2, 2012
This beautiful picture book makes it completely clear exactly why you want to visit the Niger Delta, Nunavut, Cape Floral Region, etc.....
February 7, 2017
This book introduces you to some amazing places, some of which you wouldn't even have known existed. Just a bit depressing to think that some of them might disappear or change completely.
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May 22, 2018This book was made with the help of the IPCC and features photos of places and ecosystems that could, movingly and terrifyingly, soon lose their survival due to climate change. One is left with the impression that the motions and behavior of the plants, animals and even urban-dwelling people featured in this book are carefully calibrated responses to current environmental pressures, and they will be mortally less adaptable once the catastrophically fast change in temperature and water availability sets in.
I would be more impressed with this book if sale proceeds went towards helping the environment. Otherwise, it feels like the journalists want to have their cake and eat it too-- they wanted the lifetime experience of visiting and photographing these places, at the cost of transport pollution and additions to their carbon footprint, and be able to harangue their readers at the same time.
I would be more impressed with this book if sale proceeds went towards helping the environment. Otherwise, it feels like the journalists want to have their cake and eat it too-- they wanted the lifetime experience of visiting and photographing these places, at the cost of transport pollution and additions to their carbon footprint, and be able to harangue their readers at the same time.
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