Friday, October 5, 2012

Rising sea levels are washing away UNESCO heritage sites in Ghana

These UNESCO heritage sites happen to be old salve trading forts, but they are part of Ghana's national heritage all the same. They also provide a valuable source of tourism revenue for the country. One fort Ada Foah’s Fort Kongenstein, an 18th  century Danish trading fort, has already sunk into the ocean. According an article from The Christian Science Monitor, climate change is the cause. Sea levels in parts of Accra, Ghana’s capital, could rise by up to 80 centimeters by 2100, according to a study he authored. The coast in the capital is receding at just over one meter a year, he says, while Ada Foah loses about 3.5 meters a year, according to a recent University of Ghana study.

In addition the homes of many people who rely on fishing to make a living are at risk of falling into the sea. The article says that although many people's lives and homes are in danger people refuse to move because living off of the sea is all that they know. Often when a storm hits people flee their homes and hope that they are still standing when they return.

According to this map from the site Prevention Web, a site focused on "the disaster reduction community" many major cities in Africa are at risk of being inundated by rising sea levels.

Here is the the UNESCO heritage site listing for Ghana.


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