Why in news?
A recent study reveals that the World Heritage sites were threatened by climate change.
What are the highlights?
- The study assesses the risk due to sea level rise by the end of the century at 49 UNESCO coastal Heritage sites.
- It presents a risk index that ranks the sites according to the threat they face from today until the end of the century.
- The sites featuring highest on this index in current conditions include Venice and its Lagoon, Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia.
- All these sites are located along the northern Adriatic Sea in Italy where extreme sea levels are the highest.
- This is because high storm surges coincide with high regional sea-level rises here.
- Dozens of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Mediterranean are under severe threat of coastal erosion and flooding.
- By the next century flood risk may increase by 50% and erosion risk by 13% across the region.
What are the challenges?
- The Mediterranean region has a high concentration of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- Many of these are in coastal locations as human activity has historically concentrated around these areas.
- The steep landscape and small tidal range in the area has meant settlements often located close to the waterfront.
- So rising sea levels pose a threat to these sites and settlements.
- But more information on the risk at a local level is needed.
- Also, the approaches to adaption and protection vary across the region due to large social and economic differences.
- Besides, Heritage sites face many challenges to adapt to the effects of sea-level rise as it changes the value and ‘spirit of place’ for each site.
What lies ahead?
- Further monitoring is required to better understand the effects of climate change on heritage sites and other natural hazards.
- The study has identified areas with urgent need for adaptation planning.
- The iconic nature of such sites can be used to promote awareness of the need to take action to mitigate climate change.
- In some cases, relocation of individual monuments may be technically possible too.
Source: The Hindu
