After years of delay, the bumbling U.N. World Heritage Committee has finally recognized global warming as a threat to natural and cultural heritage sites. But, wait for it, having made the momentous decision, it has decided not to endorse CO2 cuts or even add places such as Mount Everest and Montana’s Glacier National Park to its “danger list.”
Critics of the organization had argued that one of the best ways for the UN to protect World Heritage sites was to through greenhouse gas reductions, but the UN committee rejected it.
“The Committee decided to adopt a climate change and White House strategy that focused on adaptation,” argues Peter Roderick, co-director of the Climate Justice Programme. “Most Committee members were not prepared to stand up to the U.S. and Canadian governments. They have a responsibility to the world to protect the best parts of our planet from its biggest threat, and they flunked it.”