Thousands of years of human history are at risk.
Global warming — and the rising seas that come with it — threatens dozens of natural and cultural wonders designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as World Heritage sites.
In 2014, two European researchers released a paper in the journal Environmental Research Letters that estimated more than one-fifth of UNESCO's 720 World Heritage sites are at risk from flooding or even total submersion by 2100 due to sea-level rise.
That's too many to list here, but five key sites caught our eye.
Each would be at least partly below local sea level if global temperatures reach a 3.6-degree Fahrenheit warming limit set out by the Paris Agreement.
SEE ALSO: 15 dramatic images of an Indian island that has slowly shrunk down to half its former size
1. Venice
You may have heard that Venice is sinking. The 1,595-year-old city was built on wooden foundations over 118 small islands barely above sea level.
Source: History Channel, UNESCO
Throughout its history, Venice has flooded during periods of high tides. The Venetians call these floods “acqua alta.”
Source: The Independent
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