Current:Home > Contact-usVenice won't be listed as one of the world's most endangered sites-LoTradeCoin
Venice won't be listed as one of the world's most endangered sites
View Date:2024-12-24 01:35:25
Venice, with its maze of canals and historic buildings, won't be added to a list of endangered World Heritage sites — for now.
At a meeting to discuss World Heritage sites underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, officials from 21 UNESCO member states decided Thursday not to add Venice, Italy to the World Heritage in Danger list.
UNESCO issued a report in July outlining the risks facing Venice, including extreme weather and rising sea levels caused by human-induced climate change, over-tourism and over-development.
A spokesperson for UNESCO, the United Nations body that designates and protects World Heritage sites, did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment on the reason why Venice, a World Heritage site since 1987, remains off the endangered list.
UNESCO's official statement about the decision reiterated addressing concerns "for the proper conservation of the site," which include tourism, development projects and climate change. "The protection of this World Heritage site must remain a priority for the entire international community," UNESCO stated.
UNESCO added it plans to send a delegation to Venice, and submit a new report about the issues facing the city by February of next year, with a view to discuss its inclusion on the World Heritage in Danger list again next summer.
Adam Markham, deputy director for climate and energy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, and an expert on the link between climate change and cultural heritage, expressed frustration over the decision.
"The countries making the decision thought, 'Okay, let's give them a bit more time. They're doing some good work.' I don't think that's the case," Markham said. "They need the push now to act faster, bigger and do more. Otherwise, Venice is going to really be strangled to death from climate change and tourism."
There are currently 54 sites on the World Heritage in Danger list. New additions to the list in 2023 so far include Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli in Lebanon, The Historic Centre of Odesa in Ukraine, and Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib in Yemen. Discussions about additional sites continue this week.
UNESCO did state the reason for its decision on Tuesday to remove one site — Tombs of the Buganda Kings in Kasubi, Uganda — from the List of World Heritage in Danger, where it was inscribed in 2010 following a devastating fire and has since undergone reconstruction.
"This reconstruction program was completed in the summer of 2023, enabling the site to reach the desired state of conservation," said the statement from UNESCO. "The reconstruction had been successfully implemented."
veryGood! (97251)
Related
- 'Squid Game' creator lost '8 or 9' teeth making Season 1, explains Season 2 twist
- Isle of Paradise 51% Off Deal: Achieve and Maintain an Even Tan All Year Long With This Gradual Lotion
- 10 Gift Baskets That Will Arrive Just in Time for Mother’s Day
- Supreme Court rules against Alabama in high-stakes Voting Rights Act case
- Pete Alonso's best free agent fits: Will Mets bring back Polar Bear?
- The FDA has officially declared a shortage of Adderall
- Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts as volcanic glass fragments and ash fall on Big Island
- Millie Bobby Brown's Sweet Birthday Tribute to Fiancé Jake Bongiovi Gives Love a Good Name
- 2 Florida women charged after shooting death of photographer is livestreamed
- Biden administration to appoint anti-book ban coordinator as part of new LGBTQ protections
Ranking
- Kyle Richards Shares an Amazing Bottega Dupe From Amazon Along With Her Favorite Fall Trends
- Why Black Americans are more likely to be saddled with medical debt
- Lionel Messi picks Major League Soccer's Inter Miami
- The Air Around Aliso Canyon Is Declared Safe. So Why Are Families Still Suffering?
- What’s the secret to growing strong, healthy nails?
- Shipping’s Heavy Fuel Oil Puts the Arctic at Risk. Could It Be Banned?
- A Heat Wave Left Arctic Sea Ice Near a Record Winter Low. This Town Is Paying the Price.
- Uganda has locked down two districts in a bid to stem the spread of Ebola
Recommendation
-
The Fate of Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager's Today Fourth Hour Revealed
-
In close races, Republicans attack Democrats over fentanyl and the overdose crisis
-
This MacArthur 'genius' grantee says she isn't a drug price rebel but she kind of is
-
Annie Murphy Shares the Must-Haves She Can’t Live Without, Including an $8 Must-Have
-
Teachers in 3 Massachusetts communities continue strike over pay, paid parental leave
-
This Nigerian city has a high birth rate of twins — and no one is sure why
-
MTV Movie & TV Awards 2023 Winners: See the Complete List
-
East Coast Shatters Temperature Records, Offering Preview to a Warming World