Global alert: UNESCO sites may face irreversible collapse by 2050, threatening species, communities, forests, and part of the global economy.

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 24/04/2026 at 06:59

Updated on 24/04/2026 at 07:00

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More than a quarter of UNESCO sites face increasing risks of deterioration by 2050, with threats such as reef collapse, glacier disappearance, species displacement, and direct impacts on communities and the global economy

More than 25% of UNESCO sites could reach critical points of deterioration by 2050, with the risk of irreversible impacts on glaciers, coral reefs, forests, endangered species, communities, and economic activities.

Global network brings together heritage and nature

The alert appears in a report from the UN agency for cultural heritage, which assesses sites designated for their cultural, historical, or natural value.

The list includes the Great Barrier Reef, the Great Wall of China, and the Giant’s Causeway.

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UNESCO sites store carbon

The UNESCO sites store about 240 gigatons of carbon, a volume equivalent to nearly two decades of global emissions if released.

The forests in these areas account for approximately 15% of the carbon absorbed annually by forests worldwide.

The latest study analyzed these spaces as a single network. Despite the global decline of 73% in wild animal populations since 1970, populations within UNESCO-protected areas have remained relatively stable.

According to Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO, the findings show benefits for both people and nature.

He stated that in these territories, communities thrive, humanity’s heritage endures, and biodiversity is maintained while collapsing elsewhere.

Environmental pressure grows

Despite their global importance, the report warns that these locations face increasing pressure. Nearly 90% of UNESCO-protected sites report high levels of environmental stress.

Climate-related risks have increased by 40% in the last decade. Without more vigorous actions, UNESCO warns of glacier disappearance, coral reef collapse, and species displacement.

The list of threats includes increased water stress and forests beginning to emit carbon into the atmosphere instead of storing it. The scenario indicates environmental losses with potentially irreversible effects.

The report measures the global value of these locations but also exposes what humanity could lose without prioritization. Deterioration could affect ecosystems, cultures, and livelihoods.

Communities and economy are exposed

Nature and communities are interconnected in these environments. The UNESCO sites are home to nearly 900 million people, about 10% of the world’s population.

Additionally, approximately 10% of global GDP is generated in these areas. Therefore, environmental risks reach populations, economic activities, and ways of life.

El-Enany classified the report as an urgent call to raise ambition. The guidance is to recognize the sites as strategic assets in combating climate change and biodiversity loss.

The Director-General advocated for immediate investment in the protection of ecosystems, cultures, and livelihoods for future generations.

Avoided warming can reduce damage

The authors estimate that each 1°C of avoided warming could halve the number of UNESCO sites exposed to major disturbances by the end of the century.

This estimate reinforces the weight of climate decisions. Without action, glaciers may disappear, reefs may collapse, and wildlife may be displaced from these territories.

The report presents these locations as heritage and living protection against climate and environmental losses. Acting now can contain damage in a network that concentrates species, carbon, populations, and a significant part of the global economy.

With information from Tempo.

Global alert: UNESCO sites may face irreversible collapse by 2050, threatening species, communities, forests, and part of the global economy.

More than a quarter of UNESCO sites face increasing risks of deterioration by 2050, with threats such as reef collapse, glacier disappearance, species displacement, and direct impacts on communities and the global economy

Global network brings together heritage and nature

UNESCO sites store carbon

Environmental pressure grows

Communities and economy are exposed

Avoided warming can reduce damage

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Global alert: UNESCO sites may face irreversible collapse by 2050, threatening species, communities, forests, and part of the global economy.

More than a quarter of UNESCO sites face increasing risks of deterioration by 2050, with threats such as reef collapse, glacier disappearance, species displacement, and direct impacts on communities and the global economy

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UNESCO sites store carbon

Environmental pressure grows

Communities and economy are exposed

Avoided warming can reduce damage

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Egypt wants to draw 10 million cubic meters of water from the Nile per day into the desert, irrigate a new agricultural frontier, and build a city where there is currently only sand.

BRICS is preparing a payment system inspired by the Brazilian PIX that will allow direct transactions between countries using national digital currencies without relying on the dollar or Western banks as intermediaries.

Ethiopia has banned gasoline and diesel cars, placed over a hundred silent electric buses on the streets of Addis Ababa, and now aims for half a million electric vehicles by 2030, all powered by Africa’s largest dam and a courage that few countries have shown.

Stored for over 100 years, the first underwater tunnel in Latin America receives a decisive boost with a loan of R$ 2.5 billion signed in April and promises to connect Santos and Guarujá, on the coast of São Paulo, in just 5 minutes.

A view from space, an image made by NASA shows the impressive Richat Structure, a geological formation located in the Sahara Desert, also known as the “Eye of the Sahara.”

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