Back from a recent mainland visit, I found on my desk a copy of Disappearing Destinations: 37 Places in Peril and What Can Be Done to Help Save Them, a new book out from Vintage, by Kimberly Lisagor and Heather Hansen, two journalists, travelers and environmentalists (so says the jacket).
Among the discussed fragile places that may vanish without attention are the Florida Everglades, California’s Napa Valley, Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, and our own O`ahu, Hawai`i. Surprised? Development and an arguable preference given to landowners instead of environment has led to seawalls that encourage disappearing beaches, as well as vanishing sand dunes. The small chapter focuses mainly on Kailua Bay, and how it might be possible to save it from Lanikai’s fate.
I thought this an unusual choice given that many other places on O`ahu (the North Shore comes to mind) might well be on the verge of ‘disappearing’, but, overall the book seems an important documentation of the large-scale changes occurring in the world, which aren’t too late to alter with courageous investment and preparation for climate change to prevent further losses.
Literary Lotus 