Our Most Iconic Places Are Under Dire Threat From Climate Change

Dozens of the Earth's most cherished World Heritage sites are under dire threat from climate change -- and some may be damaged beyond saving, warns a report UNESCO released Thursday. The agency, alongside the Union of Concerned Scientists and the United Nations Environment Program, analyzed 31 natural and cultural World Heritage sites in 29 countries on six continent. The areas range from America's celebrated Yellowstone National Park and Venice's iconic Lagoon to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador and the Ilulissat Icefjord in Denmark, all of which could be damaged by an onslaught of climate-related effects. Man-made climate change has long been linked to a host of environmental ills including melting glaciers, rising seas, an uptick in wildfires and harsher droughts. The report warns these effects could severely diminish the value of protected sites, essentially ruining them for future generations and, thus, make them unsuitable for a World Heritage designation.  Ironically, despite the growing threats, UNESCO only has a $4 million budget to help assist climate-mitigation efforts for more than 1,000 World Heritage sites. To put that in perspective, Venice alone has budgeted more than $6 billion to stem the tide of flooding overtaking the city. UNESCO awards natural and man-made wonders a world heritage designation if an area is deemed to hold "outstanding value to humanity." Such a distinction necessitates countries protect these regions to preserve them. If sites become...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news