Greece has called on world leaders to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change on cultural heritage at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), the media reported on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2021) Greece has called on world leaders to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change on cultural heritage at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), the media reported on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the Greek government hosted a side high-level event addressing climate change impacts on cultural and natural heritage, with the participation of the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
During the event, Greece's Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Christos Stylianides said that adverse effects of global climate change have been affecting the culture, one of the four pillars of sustainable development alongside social, economic, and environmental dimensions, according to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.
"Recent scientific reports clearly show that if we do not act now, the damage to the world's cultural heritage could be irreversible. We have to act now," Stylianides said, as cited by the newspaper.
The minister added that the Greek government considers organizing a summit of world leaders to agree on a roadmap for further action to protect cultural heritage.
Earlier on Tuesday, UNESCO Director-General Azoulay, who also attended the event, wrote on Twitter that "the foremost of threats to World Heritage is climate disruption. For 1 in 3 natural sites and 1 in 6 cultural heritage sites, this threat is already a reality. We must take this threat seriously because treasures may soon disappear."
The COP26 summit, held from October 31 to November 12 in Glasgow, Scotland, aims to bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
