Adam Markham

For them it's a very important revenue and income. It's an economic driver to have a World Heritage site, if the attributes that attract tourists there in the first place are damaged by climate change, that could be a big blow to the tourism economies.

If the attributes that attract tourists there in the first place are damaged by climate change, that could be a big blow to the tourism economies.

Some Easter Island statues are at risk of being lost to the sea because of coastal erosion, many of the world's most important coral reefs, including in the islands of New Caledonia in the western Pacific, have suffered unprecedented coral bleaching linked to climate change this year. Climate change could eventually even cause some World Heritage sites to lose their status.