Due to global warming, around fifty UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are currently popular tourist destinations could disappear by 2050, according to researchers from Climate X. The team used climate models to forecast the impact of floods, coastal erosion, landslides, winds, storms, and cyclones on heritage sites worldwide.
Topping the list is the Subak system of rice terraces in Bali, Indonesia, which is particularly vulnerable to surface flooding, extremely hot days, and the risk of drought. This ancient irrigation system, vital to the island’s agriculture, faces severe threats from these climate events.
The second most at-risk site is Kakadu National Park in Australia, which is threatened by surface flooding and wildfires. Following closely is the ancient trading hub of Quanzhou in China, which could suffer from drought.
Other key sites identified in the report include the Sydney Opera House in Australia, Olympic National Park in the USA, Fontenay Abbey in France, the Jungfrau-Aletsch region of the Swiss Alps, the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen, Germany, the Srebarna Nature Reserve in Bulgaria, the Danube Delta in Romania, the Western Norway Fjords, the Sun Temple in Konarak, India, and the Buddhist mountain monasteries of Sansa in South Korea, among many others.
The study underscores the urgent need for global action to protect these irreplaceable cultural and natural treasures from the devastating effects of climate change.
