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| Venice, Italy and its surrounding lagoon is extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels. Image: Getty Images |
But no sites in Australia are mentioned in the report, even though the country's Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage site, has been suffering from a massive coral bleaching event caused by unusually mild ocean temperatures. The rising temperatures have been linked to human-caused global warming.
Australia is absent from the report, according to multiple news sites, because the country's ambassador to UNESCO had its section scrubbed over worries the revelation may curb tourism.
Australia's absence has angered scientists connected to the report as well as local politicians, who say trying to hide the state of the Great Barrier Reef from one report won't stop people from learning about the problem.
"It won't work because Australians realize that the Great Barrier Reef is under terrible threat," Larissa Waters, a Greens senator from Queensland told the ABC.
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| Great Barrier Reef © OUR PLACE |
Markham said the original draft did mention climate change as a major risk for the reef as well as the site's history.
The UCS, UNESCO and the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) co-authored the report, "World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate," which describes 31 other natural and cultural sites located in 29 countries as being at risk due to climate change. The sites include Yellowstone National Park, Mt. Everest and the Galapagos Islands.
Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil are causing the greatest environmental threat facing these World Heritage sites, the organizations conclude.
The effects of global warming, such as melting glaciers, rising sea levels and worsening droughts could devastate local economies heavily reliant upon the tourism industry, the report finds. Though beneficial to local economies, the researchers note that "the tourism sector itself is vulnerable to climate change," and carbon emissions from tourism are expected to more than double within the next 25 years.
The report calls for action to be taken to protect the sites, which have "universal value to humankind." In order to do this, the report concludes, world leaders must work to implement new environmental policies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet the Paris Agreement aimed at preventing global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels, and educate tourists about climate threats facing vulnerable World Heritage sites.
"Globally, we need to better understand, monitor and address climate change threats to World Heritage sites," Mechtild Rössler, director of UNESCO's World Heritage Center, said in a statement to Mashable.
"As the report's findings underscore, achieving the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global temperature rise to a level well below 2 degrees Celsius is vitally important to protecting our World Heritage for current and future generations."
The report notes that historic buildings, monuments and fragile coral reefs are particularly vulnerable to climate change and environmental stressors. Beyond the Great Barrier Reef, more than half of the world's coral reefs are at risk of degradation, while rising Adriatic sea levels have already damaged hundreds of buildings in Venice.
In some cases, relocating buildings and monuments may be an option, but in most situations it is not.
"Cultural resources lose part of their significance and meaning when moved," the report notes. "And, once lost, they are gone forever."
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| Hoi An, Vietnam The old town of Hoi An, Vietnam, which dates back to the 15th century and sits only 2 meters above sea level, will be dealing with increasingly severe floods and storm surges from typhoons in the future. Image: Pawel Toczynski/Getty |
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| Cordillera Mountains, Philippines The picturesque rice terraces of the Philippine Cordillera Central Mountains are extremely sensitive to climate change, after being cultivated in a very stable climate for centuries. Image: Jacob Maentz |
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| Yellowstone National Park Shorter winters, less snowmelt and drier summers are putting Yellowstone National Park at risk of more severe wildfires. The park is home to moose, wolves and bears, and is among the most visited in the United States, drawing 4 million visitors in 2015. Image: AFP/Getty Images |
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| Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal The high peaks of Nepal's Sagarmatha National Park, which includes Mount Everest, are particularly vulnerable to severe glacial melt. Shrinking glaciers in this area have caused landslides, floods and put local endangered species at risk. Image: POJCHEEWIN YAPRASERT/Moment RF/Getty |
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| Wadden Sea, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands The Wadden Sea is the largest unbroken body of intertidal saltflats and mudflats in the world, and belongs to Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. The area is home to a diverse wildlife population, including seals and millions of birds, but its beaches are threatened by erosion due to rising sea levels. Image: Photothek via Getty Images |
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| Galapagos Islands The Galapagos Islands, home to hundreds of endemic species, is especially sensitive to the effects of climate change as increased rainfall has led to overgrowth of some plants. This endangers the wellbeing of other species. Seven of the islands most well-known species, including giant tortoises, penguins and sea lions, are at risk of declining as the planet warms. Image: Paul Souders/Digital Vision/Getty |
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| Lunenberg, Nova Scotia Each year, more than 1.8 million tourists visit Old Town Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, Canada, where rising sea levels are causing increased damage and flooding during powerful storms. Climate change could threaten Lunenberg's main industries: fishing, shipping, and tourism, which generates $115 million in revenue each year. Image: Wolfgang Kaehler/Lightrocket/Getty |
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| Statue of Liberty Rising sea levels and storm surges like those seen during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 threaten one of New York's most distinctive icons, the Statue of Liberty. The hurricane's destruction caused the Statue of Liberty to be closed for repairs for nine months, and resulted in approximately $100 million in damage. Image: Alex Trautwig/Getty |
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| Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado Home to centuries-old Native American archeological sites, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is threatened by the longer and drier weather associated with climate change, leading to costly wildfires and a lack of vegetation needed to stabilize soil and prevent destructive erosion. Image: MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GEtty |
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| Stonehenge Even Stonehenge, which has stood in the United Kingdom for millennia, is threatened by climate change. Increased rainfall has placed the plain it sits on at risk of flooding and soil erosion. Image: NIKLAS HALLEN/AFP/Getty |
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| The Holy Valley and Forest of the Cedars of God, Lebanon The emblematic cedar forests found in the mountains of Lebanon, now reduced to just 5% of their original size, are at risk of disappearing following massive deforestation and the ongoing effects of climate change. Image: AFP/Getty |
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| Wadi Rum, Jordan Jordan's Wadi Rum is a desert rock formation home to caverns, arches, and animals including falcons, Arabian oryx and Nubian ibex. Its plants also provide food and medicine to local Bedouin people, but the area is currently under threat from tourism and climate change resulting in warmer temperatures and drought. Image: Adam Pretty/Getty |
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| Komodo National Park, Indonesia Climate change and its likely symptoms (increased rains, ocean acidification) is threatening the home of the Komodo Dragons, which are endemic to Komodo National Park in Indonesia and whose breeding patterns may be affected by climate change. The islands of the national park are also home to mangroves and coral reefs, which are especially vulnerable to ocean acidification and rising temperatures. Image: Barcroft Media/Getty |
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| Kilwa Kisani, Tanzania The ancient ruins of Kilwa Kisani in Tanzania are vulnerable to increased storm surges related to rising sea levels. The once-great city is home to the Great Mosque and palace of Husuni Kubwa, built largely of coral and limestone mortar, and is at risk of damage from flooding, erosion and coastal storms. Image: Nigel Pavitt/AWL Images RM/Getty |
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| Easter Island Rapa Nui National Park, better known as Easter Island, in Chile is at risk from rising sea levels and erosion, while higher waves could eventually topple the island's iconic stone heads. Though remote, the island receives 60,000 visitors each year, and four of the island's sites most reliant upon tourism are also classified as the most threatened by wave damage. Image: Marko Stavric/Flickr RF/Getty |
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| Huascarán National Park, Peru Shrinking glaciers in Peru's Huascarán National Park have put the local water system, which a growing population depends on, at risk. The Huascarán is the country's highest peak, and the park is also home to 135 species of birds and diverse plant life. A popular tourist destination, the park is threatened by melting glaciers and rising temperatures which could eventually cause avalanches and flooding. Image: Stockphoto24/Getty |
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| Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda The mountain gorillas in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park are becoming increasingly susceptible to disease as stresses associated with climate change and an increase in tourism have been linked to the transmission of diseases from humans to gorillas. Image: ullstein bild/Getty |
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