A new report released by the United Nations revealed that 31 world heritage sites across 29 countries in the world are in extreme danger due to climate change.
The report by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the UN Environment Programme and the Union of Concerned Scientists made waves after the Australian government insisted on removing the Great Barrier Reef on the list.
This, despite the fact that more than 90 percent of it has already been damaged by extreme coral bleaching, the largest destruction in history or corals.
The report highlights the urgent need to manage the effects of climate change, as agreed in the Paris Agreement in December.
"Globally, we need to better understand, monitor and address climate change threats to World Heritage sites," said Mechtild Rössler, Director of UNESCO's World Heritage Center in a press release.
"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," she added.
It also mentioned that tourism must be carefully planned because poorly managed tourism is itself a separate threat to many heritage sites.
Below are some sites included on the list:
Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara, United Republic of Tanzania
Lake Malawi National Park, Malawi, Africa
Cape Floral Region Protected Areas, South Africa
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
Ouadi Qadisha (the Holy Valley) and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab), Lebanon
Wadi Rum Protected Area, Jordan
Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata, Mauritania
Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, Palau
Hoi An Ancient Town, Viet Nam
Shiretoko, Japan
Komodo National Park, Indonesia
Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal
Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems
Rice Terraces of the Philippines, Cordilleras, Philippines
Golden Mountains of Altai, Russian Federation.
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Huascarán National Park, Peru
Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves, Brazil
Rapa Nui National Park (Easter Island), Chile
Ilulissat Icefjord (Greenland), Denmark
Heart of Neolithic Orkney, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites, United Kingdom of Great Britain
Northern Ireland Wadden Sea
Venice Lagoon
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