New Report on World Heritage and Climate Change

Threats to cultural and natural heritage sites from the effects of climate change are further substantiated in a new report presented at the 12th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change taking place in Nairobi, Kenya. The report, entitled 'The Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World's Greatest Challenge' describes impacts such as rising sea levels, flooding and storms. Mosques, cathedrals, monuments and artefacts at ancient sites are threatened by changes in climatic conditions, which in turn may lead to damaging shifts in moisture levels affecting structures directly, or the chemistry and stability of soils in which they are found.

The report was compiled by researchers with the Stockholm Environment Institute with assistance from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report is based on studies from researchers across the globe, including members of the World Heritage Committee.

The report is available through Earthscan and University of California Press.