The first thing is that attendees are supposed to find ways they can agree on to work together. The UN itself explains that COP 31 is essentially a giant meeting intended to “allow governments to assess progress and negotiate how to tackle a challenge that no nation can solve alone.” It should be noted, too, that political leaders are not the only ones taking part. Researchers, enterprises, First Nations, youth groups, and other sections of civil society will be there too. Whether this makes it easier to reach a consensus or not is a matter up for debate.

One major achievement was 2015’s Paris Agreement, which saw countries pledge to ensure global warming remains below 2°C and to try to limit it to only 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. (That 1.5°C threshold was breached for the last months of 2023, and for the first time, a full calendar year, in 2024, according to the World Meteorological Organization.)

The consequences of climate change remind us of a single truth: We do not have another planet, yet we have the power to transform it. A small step, the right awareness, and strong solidarity. Only 3 days left to be part of the change! https://t.co/6BI0mFq53L

— COP31 Türkiye (@turkiyecop31) November 5, 2026

However, not every COP results in a landmark international deal like the Paris Agreement, nor is every conference intended to do so. Each year, further negotiations happen, and new domestic goals are publicised, alongside sharing best practices and solutions.

While the Turks host in Antalya this year, Australia is heading the negotiations, alongside other Pacific islands, many of whom are taking the brunt of rising seas and increasingly violent weather systems that, right now, pose active threats to their lives and cultures. It’s no surprise, then, that the urgency of actually doing something that works will be high on the agenda. The UN’s top climate advisor Selwyn Hart has said he’s “running a personal campaign to rename the Action Agenda, the Implementation Agenda.”

Specifically, the Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE), developed under the COP31 Presidency, aims to build up the capacity and investment that are currently lacking as countries try to put planning into practice. Partnerships between governments, international organisations, development banks, climate funds, and the private sector will be the driver.

Ideas come together at COP31 Green Zone! From climate solutions to a more sustainable future, nearly 600 panels will bring together fresh perspectives and inspiring conversations. The program has started rolling out! Explore the sessions, find the topics that interest you, and check out the details on the COP31 website. 9–20 November 2026 | COP31 Venue, Antalya Open to everyone. Free to attend!

— COP31 Türkiye (@turkiyecop31) October 29, 2026

The oceans and the seas will, also unsurprisingly given the lead participants, be a focus, as a stated COP31 priority is promoting “support for coastal communities facing sea-level rise and coastal erosion. Safeguarding livelihoods and strengthening adaptive capacity are central objectives.” (COP31 Action Plan).

We can expect to hear a lot about the ocean’s potential for absorbing around 25% of carbon emissions, and, as the World Research Institute’s Tom Pickerell (Global Director, Ocean Program) notes, the ocean absorbs more than 90% of the excess heat caused by climate change. Blue carbon ecosystems such as seagrass meadows, salt marshes, and mangroves will be entering national climate strategies, climate accounting, and target-setting. The protection and restoration of land carbon sinks, such as forests and rangelands, will be another theme.

Our future depends on the peace we make with nature. For a future in harmony with nature, let’s meet at COP31. https://t.co/Xq7iiK5TKe

— COP31 Türkiye (@turkiyecop31) November 3, 2026

But COP31 will not only be about sequestering carbon or compensating for emissions. It seeks, in addition, to find radical reductions. Waste will therefore be another keyword. Waste is the third largest source of anthropogenic methane, responsible for 30% of global warming since the Industrial Revolution. COP31 will promote ways to prevent emissions at the source through circular economy solutions, and, in doing so, slash in half the projected increase in global annual waste generation by 2035.

Similarly, green industrialisation, especially for developing nations, will be a priority, with attention on helping hitherto “hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement, chemicals, aluminium, and fertilisers” reach near-zero emissions while supporting economic competitiveness and innovation.

Climate-resilient cities, food, health, and clean energy are also on the action plan. Food insecurity looms for around 318 million people due to climate shocks, while food systems are responsible for one-third of global emissions yet receive only four per cent of climate finance. What’s more, around two billion people are still dependent on polluting cooking methods. Scaling up green agriculture, technical solutions to clean electrification, and mobilising finance for vulnerable communities are all problems COP31 will work on.

One more item that is worth mentioning regarding COP31 is Artificial Intelligence (AI), which Associate Professor Nathan Cooper, of the University of Waikato’s School of Law, Politics and Philosophy, calls “the green elephant in the room.” He points out that “work is under way on the Antalya Artificial Intelligence Pledge, a voluntary framework to support AI use for climate action. But given growing concerns around AI’s negative and growing climate footprint, the role of AI in relation to the Climate Crisis remains controversial.”

Perhaps most importantly though, as we stand on the brink of a post-1.5 °C world, hope is still in the room with us too. Selwyn Hart highlights that COP31 is taking place as the technologies are emerging that can really make a difference. “The good news, in this horrible situation of overshoot, is that the world has never been better equipped to solve this challenge,” he says.

L’article What to expect from COP31 climate summit? est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Serua Island sits off the central southern coast of Fiji’s “mainland” Viti Levu, around an hour west of the capital, Suva. Boasting two hills, for which it is named (Serua means “two parts”), and originally the home of Narukusara fishers, from whom some settlers from the mainland tried to learn skills, the island was long a tribal battleground, according to Fiji Times.

Now though, a battle for survival of a different kind is taking place.

Cyclones have always been a scourge across the South Pacific, and some of today’s Seruans recall particularly violent, categorised storms of the past. Reported by the AFP, islander Avenai Ranuku remembers the category five cyclone “Winston,” which made landfall in late February 2016. Winston became the most intense tropical cyclone ever in the Southern Hemisphere and, over a duration of a week in the Coral Sea area, reached record sustained wind speeds of 280 km/h. Although the archipelago opened shelters and Seruans helped each other reach high ground, the cyclone killed at least 44 people and damaged or destroyed 40,000 homes.

Fijian paradise island’s residents reject calls to relocate From shore, Serua Island looks like a tropical idyll. Up close, a concrete seawall stands between the community and encroaching seas that are already swallowing parts of the island. https://t.co/9SKE9kLske

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 30, 2026

With climate change, the risks posed by extreme weather have only increased. Research from the University of New South Wales has found sea levels in the region have increased at rates three to four times the global average in recent decades. Similarly, the UN Climate Action Team report 2024, “Surging Seas in a Warming World,” said sea levels are rising at rates not seen for 3,000 years, with average levels up by 9.4 cm over the last thirty years.

Described from a local viewpoint, that means: “The stronger the air pressure, the higher the waves. So the waves wash through inside the village,” Ranuku said. A report prepared by Fijians with the support of Habitat for Humanity in 2025 noted: “Serua Island experiences more frequent seawall overtopping during high tides and king tides, saline intrusion affecting soil fertility, and standing water after rainfall, elevating health risks.” It added that the island lacks a “natural form of wave breakers” and so “is constantly threatened by sea level rise and cyclones.”

To make matters worse, over half the local housing stock suffers “a combination of unstable foundations and roofs, and weak joints, walls and bracing, making these homes most vulnerable.” One in five homes is in a “critical” condition, and only a total of three houses could hold up in a cyclone, the report said.

Fiji has made recent representations to the UN emphasising climate impacts on small island developing states (SIDS). The UN has also called on developed nations, particularly the G20, which produce 80% of the world’s emissions, to cut and mitigate their greenhouse emissions. But those efforts might come too late for places like Serua.

While the answer could be to migrate elsewhere, as their settler ancestors did before they met with those early fishers, a majority of Seruans have rejected this solution. Instead, the AFP recounts, work is taking place to raise up houses, reinforce walls, and replace corrugated roofing. Habitats for Humanity also recommended improving the 750-metre causeway that provides a pedestrian link to Viti Levu at low tide, as well as securing docking and harbour facilities.

As previously reported by Travel Tomorrow, Pacific dwellers in Tuvalu announced in 2023 a plan to build a digital replica of the island state in the metaverse in order to preserve their history and culture in response to the existential threat from climate change. Seruans are choosing to rebuild in the real world—for as long as it lasts.

L’article Fiji islanders choose to rebuild as rising seas threaten Serua est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The Italian army has reported historic finds made in September 2026, after another summer of record high temperatures across Europe, stating: “As the ice retreats, history resurfaces – and with it, dangers from the past. More than a century later, the mountains continue to yield unexploded ordnance from the Great War.”

El deshielo de los glaciares en los Dolomitas, al norte de Italia, dejó al descubierto más de 250 artefactos explosivos de la Primera Guerra Mundial. Los hallazgos se registraron cerca de Canal San Bovo, en el valle de Primiero, donde el Ejército italiano realizó labores de recuperación y neutralización. Las municiones datan de la llamada ‘Guerra Blanca’, los enfrentamientos entre tropas italianas y austrohúngaras en las montañas alpinas entre 1915 y 1918. Las autoridades recomiendan a excursionistas y montañistas no tocar estos artefactos y reportar cualquier descubrimiento a las fuerzas de seguridad. : Cortesía.

— Noticiero El Salvador (@NoticieroSLV) October 27, 2026

Dubbed the “White War,” fighting between Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops took place from 1915 to 1918. In addition to the terrors of military violence, the soldiers faced extreme hardship, including freezing temperatures, snow and ice, and the danger of attempting to operate heavy machinery on treacherous high ground. Many fell to their deaths, and equipment was lost, as well as hastily abandoned as soldiers fled at the end of hostilities.

That cache, including ammunition such as artillery shells and mortars, is now being rediscovered. In fact, such finds have been ongoing since the 1990s, and weapons have not been the only things to resurface. Clothes, coins, diaries, lanterns, letters, newspapers, postcards, preserved food, and straw beds were found after ice melt in a cave barracks on Mount Scorluzzo in 2015.

But as the planet warms, and years with low snowfall and high ice melt multiply, the discoveries are now more frequently being made by the hikers who are drawn to the stunning Dolomite landscape in the summer. Reports of unexploded munitions in places such as the Canal San Bovo in the Primiero Valley in eastern Trentino led the Italian army there for clearance sweeps earlier this year.

The Julia Alpine brigade has now reported the recovery and neutralisation of 250 devices, among them “18 Italian 75mm artillery shells and 37 Thevetot mortar shells.” They have described the work as “eliminating hidden dangers and making the trails-frequented every year by mountaineers, hikers, and tourists-safer.”

In addition to those efforts, officials are waging a new type of campaign in the region: a public safety information drive to alert visitors and residents to the dangers suspicious objects can present. The public are asked not to touch or attempt to remove items themselves, but to take photographs, if it is safe to do so, and report any finds to appropriate authorities.

L’article First World War explosives revealed by melting glaciers and climate change in Italy est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The study, Heat-related urban mortality attributable to human-induced climate change in Europe in summer 2026, conducted by researchers from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, found that two in three of these deaths were attributable to human-induced climate change.

The research covered 854 urban areas across 30 countries – including the EU, the UK, Norway and Switzerland – which are home to almost 173 million people, roughly 40% of their combined population, between June and August. 

Combined with the findings of an earlier study covering the period from 2000 to 2025, these results suggest that this summer was by far the deadliest for heat-related mortality this century.

Lead author Clair Barnes, a climate researcher at Imperial College London, described the summer as the “worst on record for heat-related mortality across Europe”.

“These numbers are a stark reminder that our hotter, more extreme summers are having an increasingly severe impact on public health. Behind these statistics are real people whose lives were lost and real families who grieve for them,” she added. 

Malcolm Mistry, a climate and health scientist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and co-author of the study, described the estimated death toll as “staggering”, but added that the proportion attributable to human-induced climate change was even more alarming.

The researchers combined temperature records with historical data on the relationship between heat and mortality. They then compared actual temperatures with those expected in a world that was unaffected by human-induced global warming.

They estimated 50,391 excess heat-related deaths occurred between June and August, of which 32,619 (65%) were attributable to climate change.

This was significantly higher than the previous record of 29,480 in 2022. The number of deaths attributable to climate change alone in 2026 exceeded the total estimated heat-related deaths in any previous summer this century.

Almost one-third of these deaths occurred between 17 June and 1 July, during an exceptionally intense heatwave.

The elderly were the group most affected, with people aged 85 and over accounting for roughly half of the estimated deaths, according to study co-author Garyfallos Konstantinoudis.

Nevertheless, more than 6,000 deaths were estimated among people under 65, including 833 aged between 20 and 44.

The highest mortality rates were recorded in Malta, Italy and Hungary, while the greatest absolute death tolls were in Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the UK.

As heat is rarely mentioned on death certificates, families are often unaware of its role in the death of a relative already suffering from another condition.

Speaking to The Guardian, Mario Guarino, an emergency doctor in Naples, reported a 15% increase in emergency visits during the hottest weeks. He pointed not only to the heat, but also to poverty and loneliness, as factors which leave elderly people particularly vulnerable.

David García-García, a researcher at Madrid’s Carlos III Health Institute who was not involved in the study, cautioned, however, that, although the research presented a “valuable contribution”, the figures were estimates based on “observed temperatures and epidemiological models”, rather than actual death records from summer 2026.

The overall European death toll could, however, still be higher, as the authors of the Imperial College study pointed out that their analysis covered only urban areas.

L’article Europe’s summer heatwaves linked to a record 50,000 deaths est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

“Overshoot is not surrender. We can still keep it as small and as short as possible – and bring temperatures back below 1.5 degrees by the end of the century,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated. 

Although a 1.5°C overshoot compared to preindustrial levels was the main goal of the Paris climate agreement in 2015, a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report from earlier this year established that objective was no longer feasible. The organisation estimated global heating would reach at least 1.8°C.

Global warming will overshoot 1.5°C in the coming years. There’s still a chance to bring temperatures back down, but the window is closing fast. This is the point of return. #EmissionsGap https://t.co/VDXkg0JPtQ

— UN Environment Programme (@UNEP) October 21, 2026

However, the newly-published Emissions Gap Report 2026: The Point of Return paints a scenario in which the overshoot could be limited to 1.7-1.8°C around the middle of the century before returning to 1.5°C by 2100. If the guidelines put forward in the report were to be followed, UNEP estimates the chance of success at around 50%.

“Every additional fraction of a degree and additional year of warming above 1.5°C increases climate impacts and risks, such as the deadly floods, heatwaves and wildfires that have plagued many nations this year. So, we must pull out all the stops to minimize peak warming and return to 1.5°C by the end of the century. This is possible,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.

According to the report, a return to a 1.5°C overshoot by the end of the century would be possible if global greenhouse gas emissions were to be reduced by 18% by 2030, 45% by 2035 and 69% by 2040, all relative to 2025 levels. However, to reach these emission cuts, the world would have to go above and beyond the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which would only reduce emissions by 5-8% by 2030 and 11-15%  by 2035, relative to 2025 levels.

While this may sound ambitious, the report leaves room for optimism. According to the researchers, there have never been as many opportunities to accelerate action. Compared to 2015, when the Paris Agreement was adopted, renewable energy has boomed, the total energy supply from coal and oil has grown slower than initially projected, and climate policies have cut emissions in many places.

“We have a wealth of success stories showing that emissions can be cut quickly. It is now up to nations to urgently put in place policies that spark fast, deep and sustained emissions reductions, and put the world on track for a more stable climate and more stable economies and societies,” Inger Andersen added. 

However, if the current policies were to continue, global warming could reach 2.8°C before the end of the century and would continue to increase afterwards. That number would be limited to 2.6°C if all NDCs were delivered and similar efforts were to continue. Even in the most optimistic scenario, if all NDCs plus additional net-zero targets were to be achieved, global warming would only be limited to 2.1°C in this century. Due to the withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement as well as revised estimates of historical emissions, the projection has worsened over the past year.

According to the UNEP, keeping peak warming below 1.7 to 1.8°C will quickly become impossible if no urgent action is taken. Every five years of CO₂ emissions at current levels push peak warming up by around 0.1°C.

The report comes shortly after August 2026, which proved to be the world’s joint hottest month ever recorded. As the global average surface air temperature reached 16.96°C, temperatures climbed 1.65°C above the estimated 1850–1900 pre-industrial average.

L’article UN report reveals how the world could return to 1.5°C global warming by 2100 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The latest measures affect the Upper and Lower circuits, whose paths and walkways lead visitors towards the waterfalls. The national park is set to remain open with a reduced range of attractions and services, according to Argentine news outlet Infobae.

What a difference! Heavy rainfall has transformed Iguazu Falls, one of the world’s largest waterfall systems, along the Brazil-Argentina border. Water flow surged to 455,000 cubic feet per second, more than six times its historical average, prompting authorities to close several tourist walkways as a precaution.

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 13, 2026

Authorities initially restricted access on Monday, 12 October, after the Iguazu River’s flow exceeded 12,000 cubic metres per second, more than six times its usual rate. The national park administration and the company operating its tourist circuit introduced the closure as a precaution.

“Temporary restrictions are being imposed on the movement of people and access to public-use areas,” Iguazu National Park said in a statement reported by the Buenos Aires Times on Monday.

Park director José María Hervás explained that persistent rainfall and continuing releases of water from upstream dams were behind the decision.

A gradual reduction in the river’s flow subsequently allowed authorities to announce reopening for Tuesday, 13 October. However, the improvement proved short-lived: water volumes rose again that afternoon, prompting further restrictions for Wednesday. The latest developments underline how quickly access can change during periods of intense rainfall.

Iguazu Falls after heavy rain https://t.co/N7JlaGKnTA

— Science girl (@sciencegirl) October 13, 2026

Changing water levels disrupt access to the falls

The latest closure protocol was triggered when the river’s flow exceeded 11,000 cubic metres per second, the safety threshold for access to the affected walkways and viewing platforms. Forecasts indicated that elevated flows would persist throughout Wednesday.

The Yvyrá Retá visitor centre, Territorio Yaguareté attraction and Ecological Jungle Train were expected to remain available, alongside catering and retail facilities. Entrance prices were reported to be unchanged despite restrictions on access to the waterfalls.

For visitors, the distinction is significant: an open national park does not necessarily mean that its main waterfall circuits are accessible. Authorities have advised tourism operators and travellers to follow official channels for updates before planning their visit.

Iguazú National Park in Argentina reopened today, but the iconic Devil’s Throat walkway remains strictly closed, not surprisingly Heavy rains pushed the river’s flow past 12,000 m³/s, which is nearly 10x its normal volume. https://t.co/JRlgFkHzw0

— Volcaholic (@volcaholic1) October 13, 2026

Straddling the border between Argentina and Brazil, Iguazu is one of the world’s most significant waterfall systems. UNESCO describes the falls as extending across almost 2,700 metres, surrounded by subtropical forest. Argentina’s Iguazu National Park has been on the World Heritage List since 1984.

Beyond the waterfalls themselves, the protected area supports rich biodiversity, making it both a major visitor attraction and an important conservation site. UNESCO highlights its role in protecting threatened species and the ecological connections between the Argentine and Brazilian parks.

Flooding has disrupted access before. Closures in 2023 and 2024 occurred during a previous El Niño episode that damaged walkways in the Devil’s Throat section. Authorities closed that circuit and removed walkways in August 2026 as a precaution against another major rise in water levels.

The wider region is also experiencing flooding concerns. Rising levels along the Uruguay River have forced dozens of residents to leave riverside areas in Concordia and Paso de los Libres, extending the effects of the severe weather beyond tourism.

El Niño reinforces the need for flexible travel plans

El Niño involves warming in the tropical Pacific that can alter rainfall and atmospheric circulation far beyond the ocean itself. Its effects vary between regions, increasing the likelihood of wetter conditions in some places while contributing to drought elsewhere.

As Travel Tomorrow explored in its recent article on El Niño’s implications for travel, seasonal climate outlooks indicate changing risks rather than guaranteeing conditions at an individual destination.

For tourism businesses, this means linking contingency plans to official weather alerts and explaining what happens when attractions, roads or excursions become unavailable. Alternative itineraries and clear communication can help operators respond when conditions change after a trip has begun.

For travellers, flexible bookings, additional time and backup activities can reduce disruption. Insurance policies also require attention, particularly provisions concerning weather-related cancellations, missed departures and events already known when cover is purchased.

The sequence of closure, reopening and renewed restrictions at Iguazu illustrates that challenge. Local park notices and weather warnings remain essential even after access has been restored, while individual circuits and excursions may operate under different safety restrictions.

L’article Iguazu Falls faces renewed tourist restrictions after El Niño-linked surge in river flow est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

This is not a universal forecast. El Niño alters rainfall, heat and atmospheric conditions, while other ocean patterns can strengthen or weaken its effects. Still, travellers and operators should prepare for disruption from floods, drought, heat, wildfires and storms, as well as pressure on water, food and transport.

A changing map of risk

Heavy October–December rains in parts of the Horn of Africa could raise flood risk and disrupt safari roads and camps. Southern Africa has a clearer dry signal: the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) forecasts drier-than-average conditions across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Madagascar during the 2026–27 summer. Below-normal rainfall is also more likely in parts of Central America, South-East Asia, the Maritime Continent and, later, north-western Australia. These are regional probabilities, not destination-level guarantees.

Strong El Niño events can bring heavy rain and flooding to western South America, but travellers to Peru or Ecuador should follow national and local forecasts. In the United States, wetter-than-normal conditions are more likely across much of the southern tier. Pacific storms may also shift towards California, raising the risk of heavy rain and flash flooding, although a uniformly wet western winter is not assured.

El Niño usually suppresses Atlantic hurricanes by increasing wind shear. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gives the 2026 season a 55% chance of below-average activity, but Caribbean hurricane risk remains.

Drought is possible across parts of the Caribbean and Central America, with conditions varying by place and season. Europe’s response is less predictable: the JRC sees a possible warm anomaly in autumn, potentially strengthening in spring 2027. Travellers should prioritise destination-specific forecasts and official warnings.

What can the industry do?

Airlines, tour operators, hotels and destination managers should link contingency plans to official alerts, with alternative routes, backup accommodation, flexible staffing and clear shelter or evacuation procedures.

Contracts should explain what happens when weather closes roads, ports or attractions. Businesses also need water and energy plans for drought-prone destinations, resilient suppliers and guest updates that distinguish official warnings from seasonal outlooks. Cruise, safari and adventure operators should review route access, wildfire exposure and medical support.

How travellers can protect their plans

Travellers should consider flexible bookings, allow extra connection time for connections, and avoid itineraries dependent on one road, flight, or ferry. Before buying insurance, check cover for known events, weather disruption, missed departure, evacuation and cancellation, bearing in mind that the WMO’s near-100% warning could push travel insurance premiums up too.

Monitor national weather services and official travel advice before and during the trip. Save alerts offline and keep medicines, key documents and emergency contacts accessible.

For hot-weather trips, carry water, seek shade, and avoid the hottest hours. In drought-hit destinations, respect restrictions and reduce water use. Marine heat can damage coral, so divers should check current reef and marine-park advisories.

Shoulder-season travel or lower-risk alternatives may help, but even “coolcations” can face disruption. As Travel Tomorrow has already reported, flexibility is becoming a core travel skill.

L’article El Niño continues to reshape travel: what the sector and consumers can expect from autumn 2026 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The Triglav glacier, on the northeastern face of Mount Triglav, features on the Slovenian 50 cent euro coin and on Slovenian passports as part of the country’s coat of arms, but soon it will no longer be a part of the Slovenian landscape, scientists say, due to the effects of climate change.

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A post shared by Slovenia (@slovenia)

The glacier shrank from over 40 hectares in size at the end of the 1800s to around 14 hectares by the mid-20^th century, when there was still enough of it left to become a popular, year-round ski area. But experts tracking the glacier since 1946 say no new ice has flowed into it for years.

After low snowfall last winter, the remaining fragments of glacial ice were left exposed to soaring summer temperatures. Now the glacier is dying. Miha Pavšek of the Anton Melik Geographical Institute at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, who has been recording the changes for 30 years, says: “Everything indicates that the very last remnants of ice will literally disappear within these coming days.”

TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK – one of the oldest and most #beautiful national parks in #Europe is located in northwestern #Slovenia and covers an area of over 800 km2 (4% of the entire Slovenian territory) (Images by Tomo Jesenicnik, Jost Gantar, Jure Oblak, Ales Zdesar) #travel #nature https://t.co/n1ZsRblVSI

— Discover Slovenia (@travel_slovenia) July 27, 2018

Pavšek also raised an alarm about dwindling glaciers across Slovenia’s border in Austria. Their decline, he warns, could dry out the Drava and Mura river basins, with catastrophic long-term effects on the land. “This will impact areas they irrigate, such as the Drava and Ptuj fields and parts of the Mura region,” he said.

The future for Europe’s glaciers looks grim, according to a recent statement by the GLAMOS Swiss glacier monitoring service and the Swiss Academy of Sciences, which said: “Alpine glaciers have no chance of surviving in the long term under such conditions.” Swiss glaciers have shrunk by 20% in just the last five years, data shows.

As previously reported by Travel Tomorrow, some ski resorts across the bloc have already closed, while other threatened alpine ski areas are attempting to pivot to spring and summer hiking activities to keep their visitor economies alive. But, as Pavšek points out, it is not only Europe’s winter tourist sector that faces losses as global warming continues, but also agriculture and wine-making in some of Europe’s oldest settled regions.

The loss of the Triglav glacier underscores how climate change is reshaping both Slovenia’s landscape and livelihoods across the Alps, threatening water supplies, agriculture, and tourism while forcing mountain communities to adapt to a future with less snow and ice.

L’article Slovenia’s Triglav glacier could disappear ‘within days’, experts warn est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The continent’s ice has retreated a million square kilometres from the long-term maximum average observed since 1979. That’s an area of ice double the size of Spain that has not been seen this year, as of 14 September.

Antarctica’s sea ice area varies hugely across the year. It melts over the summer hitting less than two million square km in recent years, and “grows” back during the winter, hitting around 17 million square km this September.

But with the lowest levels of sea ice ever recorded all occurring in the last four years, researchers believe a climate behaviour pattern may have breached. “The past four winters have had the lowest sea ice maximum on record – that’s a very clear indication of a system that has changed,” said Dr Ariaan Purich, a Southern Ocean expert at Monash University in Melbourne.

“This is not a one-off event any more. The sea ice is no longer covering the same extent of ocean that it used to. We are seeing low winter after low winter and that suggests the sea ice is behaving differently because we have warmed our climate. This is not a future problem. It’s a now problem,” Purich added.

Arctic sea ice extent has reached its minimum for the year, landing at 10th lowest with 2008, 2010, and 2025. Antarctic sea ice may have topped out at 3rd lowest maximum in the satellite record. A full analysis will come out in early Oct from Sea Ice Today:https://t.co/WGlwLdQKsy pic.twitter.com/TqXkKYP0n9

— National Snow and Ice Data Center (@NSIDC) September 23, 2026

A heatwave brought temperatures 20C above Antarctic norms this summer, with large areas of open water where sea ice should have been growing in August, and winds linked to El Niño climate cycle partly blamed for churning the waters and contributing to melt.

The consequences of reduced Antarctic sea ice could be a loss of habitats for krill and algae—creatures essential to the food chain that supports sea species such as penguins. But that’s not all. Researchers also point to the way ice shelves hold back glaciers that could raise global sea levels by as much as 58 metres if they advance, causing catastrophes for the one billion humans that reside in coastal communities around the world.

Dr Will Hobbs, Antarctic sea ice expert at the University of Tasmania, said the situation could become “really worrying” and noted that while numbers are still being crunched, “the system is changing faster than we are understanding it.”

An international project called the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project, or ISMIP6, has built an archive of Antarctic simulations that show the region will lose more ice than it gains this century, even if human-driven warming is kept within 1.5 C thresholds. A continued high emissions scenario, the team said, could lead to permanent flooding in the homes of 10 million people by 2100.

L’article Antarctic winter sea ice falls to third-lowest level on record est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

A research team from Queen’s University Belfast considered air, noise, light, and water pollution in a meta analysis of 29 studies investigating the relationship between environmental exposures and death by suicide, attempted suicide, or suicide ideation. They found small particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide were associated with a higher risk. Similarly, another 16 studies indicated sulphur dioxide, ozone, and other pollutants including noise, were found to be associated with higher risk levels. The results for water and light pollution were inconclusive.

The findings have potential consequences for environmental, public, and social policymaking, the researchers say, since they suggest that improving air quality should be considered a public health issue alongside other suicide prevention strategies. Suicide is the cause of over 720,000 deaths annually and is the third biggest killer of 15– to 29-year-olds, the World Health Organization says.

If the studies findings can be taken at face value, the travel sector could be said to be implicated, after all transportation is known to be among the world’s most polluting sectors, responsible for around 14 to 15% of emissions. Travellers too, especially those on long-term trips away from home or choosing a digital-nomad lifestyle and residing abroad for lengthy periods, might decide to avoid destinations known to have poorer air quality in order to protect their mental wellbeing.

But some experts have questioned the study’s findings, pointing out that people’s reasons for attempting suicide are multi-factored, and that the study does not establish a causal link between air pollution and suicidal thoughts.

Every year, more than 727 000 lives are lost to suicide.

Behind each number is a story cut short.

We aimed for a 33% reduction in deaths by 2030, but progress is just 12%.

This is a crisis. We must act with urgency, compassion & investment in #SuicidePrevention … pic.twitter.com/RPb460PELw

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) September 2, 2025

Dr Jon Van Niekerk, the chair of the general adult faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, cited by The Guardian, noted that: “Air pollution is closely associated with other factors which we know can influence mental health, including socioeconomic deprivation, urban living, physical health and housing.” He went on to caution that “the findings should not be seen as supporting individual suicide risk prediction or suggesting that pollution reduction alone could be a suicide prevention measure.”

Still, the Belfast team conclude that their results “highlight the importance of considering environmental exposures as modifiable risk factors in suicide prevention,” raising questions about how humans have historically thought about suicide and mental health, and about how society manages complex threats to the population’s health and wellbeing.

L’article Air pollution could be associated with increased suicide risk, researchers say est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.