The study predicts that 21 of the 46 natural sites will face “glacier extinction by 2100” under the current “high emission scenario”, which refers to the rate of emissions that exceed the limits established under the 2015 Paris climate pact.
The world’s glaciers located in World Heritage sites are under threat of melting by the end of this century should greenhouse gas emissions continue unchecked.
Glaciers such as Grosser Aletschgletscher in the Swiss Alps, Greenland's Jakobshavn Glacier and Khumbu Glacier in the Himalayas were among the 46 World Heritage sites examined in the new study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The study predicts that 21 of the 46 natural sites will face “glacier extinction by 2100” under the current “high emission scenario”, which refers to the rate of emissions that exceed the limits established under the 2015 Paris climate pact.
Sites that are most endangered are Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina and Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, which straddles the Canada-US border, AFP reported.
Small glaciers in the Pyrenees - Mont Perdu World Heritage site could also disappear before 2040, according to IUCN projections.
Even if nations deliver on the terms of the Paris agreement, eight of the 46 World Heritage sites analysed in the report will still be ice-free by the year 2100, IUCN added.
Currently, the tourism industry contributes about 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Demand for energy-intensive air travel was cited as among the major contributors to carbon emissions over the five-year period between 2009 and 2013.