7. Honolulu
Ah, Hawaii, America’s island paradise. Its Polynesian history and culture plus its world class beaches and natural beauty make it a mega tourist draw. Of course, like Tokyo, the tropical nirvana is also surrounded by volcanoes as well as thousands of miles of ocean. Honolulu is pegged for peril, according to several climate change studies. Temperatures, rainfall, ecosystems, coral bleaching, tourism and tropical diseases will be impacted, but of particular concern is the rising sea levels. They have risen 0.5 to 1.3 inches per decade during the last century. If, as projected, there is a 1 to 3 foot rise by 2100, that would mean bye-bye Waikiki.
8. New Orleans
New Orleans has already been hit by nasty weather in a truly cataclysmic fashion, but it seems that as climate change worsens, the Big Easy will be subject to even more abuse at the hand’s of Mother Nature. It is said that the Gulf of Mexico swallows about a football field’s worth of land in south Louisiana each hour. From the French Quarter to Bourbon Street, the city’s inimitable Cajun culture may soon be sitting underwater. Heck, even if you’re not worried about the ravages of the planet, you should head down to New Orleans, because there’s no other American city that knows how to party quite as hard.
9. Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam’s commerce and cultural capital is a South East Asian tourism tiger that hovers right around sea level. Typhoons and tropical storms frequently menace it, and when the oceans rise, it will engulf this vibrant city. It is said to be sinking by a rate of 2cm a year. The city is attempting to develop an urban flood-control program, but it’s a tall order. HCMC has endured several floods in recent years, and it may only be a matter of time before we say so long to old Saigon.
