World Heritage Sites At Risk

Stonehenge and Statue of Liberty “in direct and immediate danger” from climate change.

22:25 02 June 2016

Some of the world’s most famous heritage sites, including Galapagos Islands, Venice, Stonehenge, and Statue of Liberty are in direct and immediate danger from climate change, a study conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists (USC) has warned.

 

The report looked at 31 natural and cultural World Heritage sites in 29 countries and found that these sites are already feeling the burnt of increasing temperatures, rising seas, erosion, and storms. Meanwhile, Stonehenge and Avebury are set to suffer from the effects of global warming and are at risk of more intense rainfall and flash flooding. 

 

Adam Markham, the deputy director of the climate and energy programme at UCS and the lead author of the report, said: "Orkney and the whole of Scotland is the poster child for eroding archaeology sites.

 

"There are thousands of them and many of them are being lost to coastal erosion and storms.

 

"If sea level rise and storms get worse because of global warming then we are going to be losing huge amounts of British heritage directly into the sea,"

He added: "The report is representative of the kind of threats these iconic places are experiencing, some are in direct and immediate danger.

 

"At every one of these sites we can see the impacts of climate change already. Not in every place is it threatening it yet but it will threaten it in the future."

 

Mechtild Rossler, director of Unesco's World Heritage Centre, said: "Globally, we need to better understand, monitor and address climate change threats to World Heritage sites.

 

"As the report's findings underscore, achieving the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global temperature rise to a level well below 2C is vitally important to protecting our world heritage for current and future generations."