Major Glaciers in World Heritage Sites Will Disappear by 2050 Due to Global Warming [Report]

Major glaciers in World Heritage sites will disappear by 2050 due to global warming, according to a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The imminent temperature rise sets the stage for the melting of some World Heritage glaciers, including those in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy, Yosemite and Yellow Stone in the US, and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

World Heritage Glaciers Report

(Photo : MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

The UNESCO report suggests some of the world's most famous glaciers or one-third of World Heritage glacierized sties will completely melt less than three decades from now, regardless of any temperature rise scenario based on climate models. However, other World Heritage glaciers can still survive if the global temperature is pushed down to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is relative to pre-industrial levels.

The report entitled World Heritage Glaciers: Sentinels of Climate Change emphasizes that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius could save glaciers in two-thirds of World Heritage sites if temperatures do not further skyrocket. In recent months and years, climate scientists have warned world leaders and individuals in the various industries that climate change will take its toll by the years 2050 and 2100.

By 2100, the UNESCO assessment shows glaciers in approximately half of all sites could almost entirely disappear under climate model where businesses continue to emit greenhouse gases and engage in burning fossil fuels.

Also Read: Landslides Can Influence Glacier Melting and Glacier Movement: New Study

Glacier Retreat Since 2000

UNESCO has identified around 18,600 glaciers in 50 World Heritage sites, and these natural structures have a total span area of approximately 66,000 square kilometers, comprising of 10% of Earth's glacierized area. Satellite data-based research studies have shown these glaciers have been retreating at an alarming rate since 2000.

In addition, UNESCO adds World Heritage glaciers lose an average of around 58 billion tons of ice every year; which is equivalent to the total annual water volume consumed in France and Spain combined and contribute to nearly 5% of the global observed sea-level rise.

In a separate report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) outlined the following predictions in the US should humans continue with the ongoing climate crisis:

Up to $106 billion worth of coastal property will be submerged below sea level by 2050.
The US coastline is expected to rise by 10 to 12 inches in the next three decades.
About 2 feet of sea level rise along the US coastline is likely between 2020 and 2100.

Paris Agreement

Some of the UNESCSO report's objective is still in line with the UN-led Paris Agreement, a legal binding international treaty to fight against climate change. Also called as the Paris Accords or Paris Treaty, the Paris Climate Agreement's goal is to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius but preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Adopted by 196 Parties at the 21^st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in Paris, France, in December 2015 and enforced in November 2016, the agreement urges member countries and their leaders to decrease industrial activities that will contribute to the greenhouse effect.