Climate change can destroy many cultural milestones

If the global warming trend shows no signs of mitigation, some of the world's most famous and historic cultural landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty in New York City, London Tower England, and archaeological relics of ancient Pompeii city in Italy, may be destroyed by rising sea levels within the next 2,000 years.

A new study by the Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics at Austria's Innsbruck University, has examined the long-term impact of rising sea levels for 720 destinations worldwide on the Heritage list. World of UNESCO.

Associate Professor Ben Marzeion, author of the study, said that 20% of the heritage will be destroyed if the temperature rises by 3 degrees Celsius above the industrial level in the next two millennia.

Statue of Liberty.(Photo: Wikimedia)

"I don't think so much of the UNESCO World Heritage is affected," Marzeion told Live Science. " I know that there are many destinations close to the sea, but I don't think the numbers are so big. If you ask me before I start studying, I will answer about 2-5%."

The study raises many concerns, because the situation presented in the study - the temperature increased by 3 degrees above pre-industrial levels - is not much higher than the current climate change forecast.

"Earth warming 3 degrees C is not too unusual," Marzeion said. "I think we will face that prospect in the future."

To avoid the devastating consequences of global warming, in 2009 at a meeting in Copenhagen, meteorologists warned that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases need to be cut to keep heat levels up. the threshold is less than 2 degrees Celsius.

On the other hand, some scientists believe that even if countries start working on activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions today, the amount of additional heat will still exceed 2 degrees Celsius. at the end of this century.

It is difficult to predict exactly how much sea level will rise, but Associate Professor Marzeion said that in general, for every 3 degrees Celsius increase, sea level will rise by about 7m.

The Statue of Liberty, London Tower and the Sydney Opera House are 3 of the 136 cultural destinations on the UNESCO World Heritage list that are at risk of being destroyed by rising sea levels.

Marzeion said: "When people think about climate change, they mostly only think about ecological or economic consequences. We think it will be more comprehensive if we consider the Cultural impact of climate change ".