A recent study reveals that World Heritage Sites — which are landmarks and areas of legal protection under an international treaty — are at great risk of significant damage from global warming.
What's happening?
A 2024 study from researchers at the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals in Beijing, China, found that by the year 2100, most of these heritage sites will be lost to global warming.
The results showed that under the highest-pollution scenario, 248 out of the 250 sites were exposed to extreme weather events like extremely high temperatures in tropical areas. Significantly, forest heritage sites may face increasing pressure due to complex phenomena from increased pollution.
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Why are World Heritage Sites important?
Researchers explain that there "is an urgent need for enhanced climate change adaptation at heritage sites" to reduce irreplaceable emblems of biodiversity.
World Heritage Sites are considered to be "of Outstanding Universal Value to humanity," as they hold "irreplaceable legacy." The Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Sites is "reflected in its natural beauty or outstanding biodiversity, ecosystem and geological values." Irreversible damage could come once the climate stress tolerance threshold is exceeded.
Biodiversity loss is further a threat to the natural world and humans. Without biodiversity, ecosystems can not function normally, which usually impacts harvest and food supplies. Humans' role in biodiversity loss can come directly, through hunting and poaching or through contributing to air pollution.
What's being done to mitigate the loss?
Researchers have identified 14 natural World Heritage Sites that should be prioritized, as they are poor in biodiversity and expected to face high temperatures. Locations in Western Australia and Spain are just a few of the heritage sites anticipated to be drastically altered due to extreme weather. They state that there's an urgent need for enhance climate change adaptation at heritage sites to minimize the loss of irreplaceable values.
According to the study, reducing pollution "is vital to any solution, but it is beyond the control of local organisations, and the window of time to prevent the worst effects" of global warming is closing. They suggest that it is "still unclear how successful mitigation actions can be"; however, it is clear that "mitigation efforts and management of human activities" can protect these sites.
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