'Global catastrophe' could wipe out important sites from UNESCO World Heritage List

Dozens of UNESCO World Heritage sites could be wiped out by 2050 due to a global catastrophe that requires urgent and effective action, a team of researchers said.

Researchers from Climate X used climate models to predict how floods, coastal erosion, landslides, wind hazards, storm surges, hurricanes and everything related to climate change would affect important landmarks around the world.

UNESCO's World Heritage List currently includes 1,223 archaeological sites, which are so important to the future of the Earth that they must be protected forever.

The research team used Climate X's Spectra platform, which models how climate change will impact property, assets and infrastructure under different scenarios.

The platform's algorithms measure the risks from extreme weather, modeling the likelihood of 16 different climate hazards occurring in the future, including extreme heat, tropical cyclones and floods, across 8 global warming scenarios over a 100-year time horizon.

The analysis revealed 50 key sites at risk if global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at the current rate.

Topping the list is Indonesia’s Subak system, which is exposed to surface flooding, extreme heat and the risk of drought, followed by Australia’s Kakadu National Park, which is “at risk of surface flooding and bushfires,” and Quanzhou: The World Trade Center in Songquan, China, which is at risk of drought.

Other major sites on the list include: the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Olympic National Park in the United States, the Swiss Jungfrau-Aletsch Alps, and the Sansa Buddhist mountain monasteries in Korea.

“Our findings are a stark warning to governments, conservationists and the global community to prioritize protecting our planet to preserve our ancient monuments, our current assets and infrastructure, and protect life today and in the future,” said Luke Ahmed, CEO and co-founder of Climate X.

“The potential impact of climate change on these sites is profound, but it is not just our past heritage that is at risk, but our present as well. While the loss of these cultural treasures, many of which have endured for thousands of years, would of course be devastating, it is also important to remember that the real societal and economic impact of climate change is happening here and now,” he added.