Paradise lost: The warm-weather escapes we're in danger of losing forever

Does the frigid weather have you dreaming of a tropical vacation? Better get going before it's too late

Published February 16, 2015 9:30PM (EST)

  (<a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-80211p1.html'>foo weng</a> via <a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/'>Shutterstock</a>/Salon)
(foo weng via Shutterstock/Salon)

Live in the eastern United States? Feeling cold right now?

Yeah, I'll bet you are.

But just because you're shivering, and possibly buried in snow, doesn't mean that global warming is a hoax. Quite the opposite, actually: If it's any consolation as you suffer through the current cold snap, many U.S. cities are already experiencing a decline in extremely cold nights.

All the same, the chill can make it hard to remember, on a visceral level, that climate change is happening, and that it's already making life unpleasant in cities and nations around the world -- not to mention threatening their future existence. So as you cling desperately to hot mugs of tea and try to remember what not freezing feels like, spare a moment's thought for those warm, sunny climes you're dreaming of escaping to, and remember that they're going to be some of climate change's earliest victims:

[slide_show id ="13885868"]


By Lindsay Abrams

MORE FROM Lindsay Abrams


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Climate Change Drought Global Warming Sea Level Rise