Climate X Study: 50 UNESCO Sites at Risk by 2050 Due to Climate Change

A study by Climate X, a climate risk data analysis agency, warns that 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites could disappear or suffer irreversible damage by 2050 due to climate change. The research assessed all 1,223 UNESCO sites using the Spectra platform, which models the impact of 16 climate hazards over the next 100 years. The most threatened site is the 9th-century Subak irrigation system in Bali, Indonesia, followed by Kakadu National Park in Australia and Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in China. The list includes sites across every continent, such as the Sydney Opera House, the Jungfrau-Aletsch glacier in Switzerland, and the Olympic National Park in the USA. Italy is not among the affected countries, while the UK has four sites at risk: the Forth Bridge, St Kilda, New Lanark, and Studley Royal Park. Climate X urges governments and institutions to prioritize safeguarding cultural heritage. UNESCO maintains its own list of 56 endangered sites (as of July 2024), focusing on political and social threats, but Venice narrowly avoided inclusion in 2023 due to overtourism and climate change concerns.