Climate change is threatening many of the world's natural heritage sites.
According to news website United Press International (UPI), the numbers of endangered world heritage sites have doubled in the past three years. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) crunched some numbers for the public and revealed that the endangered sites took a big leap from 35 to 62, as of their latest report on Nov. 13. To make matters worse, these numbers are constantly going up.
UPI also went on to report that most of the heritage sites were affected by the effects of global warming. Rising sea level, flooding, storms, wildfires, and droughts, all of these are effects of climate change and they harm not only the natural heritage sites but the rest of the world and the people living in it.
It's serious business and as time passes, it doesn't seem to be getting any better.
News Website The Guardian also had things to say about the IUCN's latest report.
According to The Guardian, high risk areas included the Galapagos Islands and the Central Amazon. And not only that, these includes the Karst caves and the butterfly reserves and coral reefs scattered across the globe. Beautiful sites that not only showcase the wonder of nature, but help keep the ecosystem in check and provide homes for animals such as fish and wildlife.
These heritage sites are important not just to people, but to animals who rely on their existence to live.
Coral reefs are suffering from changing water temperature due to climate change, glaciers are melting, people and animals suffer from drought and much more. The rising temperature has also led to several wildfires which endanger not just forest, but all the creatures living in the forest and the humans who live nearby.
According to the IUCN, the protection of these sites is an international responsibility.
One person alone might not be able to do much, but together people can pitch in to help save these wonders of nature.
