UNESCO World Heritage Sites Disappearing Very Soon?
Recent reports from UNESCO have revealed that climate change has put numerous World Heritage Sites in danger of disappearing from the globe. The agency reported that unless the world can reverse its course on the global phenomenon that many of the locations that are revered could be lost by the year 2050. This includes nearly two dozen spots within the United States.
An Alarming Analysis
The analysis from the climate risk analytics firm Climate X adds 500 World Heritage Sites from around the world to a vulnerability list. According to its findings, nations must find a way to “curb greenhouse gas emissions” if these places are to continue to exist after the middle of the 21st century.
The locations within the United States that are now considered to be vulnerable to climate change are mostly located on or near coastal areas. Climate X maintains that Florida’s Everglades National Park is the most threatened on its list, put there because of coastal flooding, storm surges, and tropical cyclones.
A List With A Mission
UNESCO, officially known as the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, established the World Heritage Convention in 1972. The purpose of UNESCO is to identify and manage World Heritage Sites, which includes preventing their destruction. In the more than 50 years since its creation, UNESCO has placed nearly 1,200 locations on this important list.
With the recent additions to the List of World Heritage in Danger, this means that nearly 1 in 20 World Heritage Sites face peril that could severely impact, if not entirely destroy, important parts of human history and culture. UNESCO is hopeful that by publicizing the list of places in danger that it won’t only increase public awareness of the problems but also ultimately work with governments from around the world to foment the changes necessary to give these places protections before it’s too late.
Climate Is A Factor
Across the country, Washington’s Olympic National Park has also been added to the list. This World Heritage Site is in danger from river and surface flooding, though periods of severe drought followed by heavy rainfall also make the area prone to devastating landslides.
Ongoing Human Activities Are Detrimental
But it’s not just climate change that has put some of the World Heritage Sites on the endangered list. The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has created a potentially destructive situation for Tell Umm Amer, where the remains of a 4th century CE Byzantine monastery Saint Hilarion are located. Other human activity, like over-hunting, pollution, and mining practices, have led to other locations being in eminent jeopardy.
Preservation Efforts Are A Must
The efforts made by UNESCO have made it possible for some places to be preserved, resulting in locations being de-listed from the List of World Heritage in Danger. One of the greatest examples is the ancient city of Angkor in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, the home of the temple Angkor Wat. The aftermath of the Pol Pot dictatorship and the civil war that followed saw the neglect of this sacred part of the former Khmer Empire, but UNESCO worked to help make this now peaceful region one of Southeast Asia’s most popular tourist attractions.
Sources: UNESCO
