The Statue of Liberty, Stonehenge, the canals of Venice — they’re among the iconic tourist attractions we all have on our travel bucket lists.
But now, getting to enjoy them could be more of a question of how long they — not we — are around.
Those attractions are among the 31 protected sites that risk being lost for good due to rising sea levels, extreme weather and other effects of climate change, according to a damning new report by scientists and United Nations researchers.
Other natural and man-made World Heritage sites such as Easter Island’s iconic statues, Uganda’s gorilla forests, the Colombian port city of Cartagena, the ancient Vietnamese town of Hoi An and the Galápagos Islands are also on the list.
The report further warns that should these sites continue to be ravaged by the effects of climate change, it will be particularly devastating to developing countries, such as Nepal — the home of Mount Everest — that desperately rely on income from tourism.
What’s happening to what?
For their report, researchers reviewed existing data and reports to measure the climate-specific threat to 31 sites in 29 countries.
They found that “every site in the report is already experiencing some impacts of climate change,” lead author Adam Markham of the Union of Concerned Scientists said.
“Some Easter Island statues are at risk of being lost to the sea because of coastal erosion,” Markham said.
He said the archaeological site of Skara Brae in Scotland faced a similar risk.
“Many of the world’s most important coral reefs, including in the islands of New Caledonia in the western Pacific, have suffered unprecedented coral bleaching linked to climate change this year,” Markham continued.
“Climate change could eventually even cause some World Heritage sites to lose their status.”
According to the research, New York City’s iconic Statue of Liberty is threatened by sea-level rise and superstorms and Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by higher temperatures and drought.
Yellowstone National Park in the United States may be transformed in just a few decades by more frequent wildfires and less snow due to warmer and shorter winters.
England’s Stonehenge is threatened not only by storms and flooding, but it could also be toppled by moles, rabbits and badgers — scientists say warmer winters in the UK could lead to a boom in numbers of these animals, whose increased burrowing could disturb the ancient monuments.
“Venice is likely to eventually succumb to rising water levels,” Markham said.
“Coral reefs such as those in New Caledonia and Palau are already being damaged by stronger and more frequent El Niños.”
Most of the sites faced multiple threats from damage caused by tourists to mining, poaching and human encroachment, Markham said.
“Climate change impacts are a new and additional stress that makes the combination of all the others worse and brings new direct threats.”
There were no Australian sites on the list — however, there are reports the Great Barrier Reef, Tasmanian forests and Kakadu were omitted after a request from the Turnbull government.
A massive blow to the tourism industry
In some cases, loss or damage to the sites would make a significant dent in tourism income and livelihoods.
And developing countries, such as Nepal and Uganda, would be especially hard-hit as they typically rely more on tourism income than developed countries such as the UK and US.
“For them it’s a very important revenue and income. It’s an economic driver to have a World Heritage site,” Markham told Reuters.
“If the attributes that attract tourists there in the first place are damaged by climate change, that could be a big blow to the tourism economies.”
Tourism is one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors, generating 9 percent of the world’s gross domestic product and providing one in 11 jobs, according to report authors.
While badly managed tourism itself can be damaging to World Heritage sites, climate change multiplies the risk of the sites losing attributes that make them attractive tourist destinations, they said.
A global response
In December, representatives of 195 nations agreed in Paris to limit average global warming to “well below” 2°C (3.6°F) over pre-industrial levels, and 1.5°C (2.7°F) if possible.
Slashing fossil fuel use, including coal, oil and gas that release planet-warming greenhouse gases into the atmosphere when burned, was posited as a crucial step to achieve this goal.
But scientists say even a 2°C increase will result in sea levels swallowing up land, longer and more frequent droughts, dramatically altered storm and rainfall patterns, and increasingly acute water shortages.
Beyond the 2°C threshold, the projected impacts worsen exponentially.
“As the report’s findings underscore, achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal … is vitally important to protecting our world heritage for current and future generations,” UN World Heritage Centre director Mechtild Rossler said.
UNESCO lists more than 1,000 heritage sites. About half of them are threatened by industrial activities such as mining, oil exploration and illegal logging, according to a report released in April by conservation group WWF.