Climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most significant threats to World Heritage sites globally. Scientific evidence shows that carbon dioxide levels are higher than at any point in the last 800,000 years, and global temperatures have increased by 1ºC since 1880. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts worsening heat waves, more intense and frequent extreme precipitation events, warming and acidifying oceans, and accelerating sea-level rise.
These climatic changes directly and indirectly threaten the outstanding universal value, integrity, and authenticity of World Heritage sites. Climate change acts as a threat multiplier, exacerbating vulnerabilities and other stresses such as pollution, resource conflicts, urbanisation, habitat fragmentation, and loss of intangible cultural heritage. Poorly managed tourism can also exacerbate these threats, impacting both the sites and their surrounding communities.
World Heritage sites, many of which are major tourist destinations, play a critical role in the global tourism sector, which accounts for 9% of global GDP and provides one in eleven jobs. However, tourism is heavily reliant on energy-intensive transportation, contributing significantly to carbon emissions. Sustainable tourism can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promote heritage preservation, but unplanned or poorly managed tourism can have detrimental effects on these sites and local communities.
The tourism sector is also vulnerable to climate change, facing threats such as extreme weather, increasing insurance costs, water shortages, and damage to attractions. Continued climate-driven degradation of heritage sites will reduce their attractiveness, impacting tourism and local economies.
This report underscores the urgent need to understand, monitor, and address climate change threats to World Heritage sites. Existing policy guidance, including the Policy Document on the Impacts of Climate Change on World Heritage Properties, provides a framework for action. Additional measures are needed to enhance the resilience of cultural and natural heritage, mitigate climate change impacts, and increase funding for managing protected areas.
