African heritage sites threatened as sea-level rise accelerates

A significant portion of Africa's UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including iconic ruins like Tipasa in Algeria and the North Sinai Archaeological Sites Zone in Egypt, are already at risk from coastal flooding and erosion due to a 1-in-100-year extreme event. Under high greenhouse gas emission scenarios (RCP 8.5), this risk is projected to more than triple by 2050, exposing nearly 200 sites. Mitigating emissions could reduce the number of highly exposed sites by 25%. The study analyzed a database of 213 natural and 71 cultural heritage sites using moderate (RCP 4.5) and high emission scenarios to assess vulnerability, emphasizing the urgent need for climate adaptation strategies, governance improvements, and site-specific protection measures.

Vousdoukas, M. I., Clarke, J., Ranasinghe, R., Reimann, L., Khalaf, N., Duong, T. M., Ouweneel, B., Sabour, S., Iles, C. E., Trisos, C. H., Feyen, L., Mentaschi, L., & Simpson, N. P. (2022). African heritage sites threatened as sea-level rise accelerates. Nature Climate Change, 12(3), 256–262. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01280-1