More than 200 African places, among which several are classified as World Heritage by Unesco, risk disappearing due to global warming. Explanations.
This is a worrying scientific study: according to Dr. Nicholas Simpson of the University of Cape Town, the African coast could be disfigured in the decades to come. Blame it on global warming and rising sea levels. The African coast, writes the scientist, "contains heritage sites of 'outstanding universal value' which are facing increasing risk". The South African university took an interest in 213 natural sites and 71 sites of African cultural heritage, of which they assessed their survival in the face of flooding and coastal erosion, due to greenhouse gas emissions.
Published in the journal Nature, the study is particularly alarming: 20% of the 56 sites studied would indeed be threatened by an extreme event of sea level rise. Among the sites that could disappear – or in any case be disfigured – d he 2050, the Roman ruins of Tipasa in Algeria or the Egyptian archaeological sites in the north of Sinai are particularly threatened by the rising waters.
But several countries are actually concerned by this eventuality: Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Western Sahara, Libya, but also Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritania or Namibia. So many countries potentially threatened by future marine climate disasters. Other African countries, such as Côte d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Sudan and Tanzania could also be affected, if the most extreme forecasts come true.
Political leaders reluctant to take strong action
In addition to remarkable places, known for their tourist attraction, South African scientists say that islands, such as Kunta Kinteh, on the Gambia River, could be completely wiped off the map of Africa. The island of Kunta Kinteh is however an important place of memory, because it symbolizes the slavery period. Diawling National Park in Mauritania is also directly threatened by rising waters.
If the study focuses on studying the forecasts, it is clear that some places are already affected by global warming. Like the Egyptian citadel of Qaitbay - where stands the lighthouse of Alexandria - which has been flooded regularly for more than two years. The measures planned to limit flooding seem ineffective.
According to the South African study, the risks of the disappearance of African cultural heritage are due in particular to the absence of an effective prevention policy. Few measures are in fact taken to counter the risk of rising waters. And when measures are taken, as in Egypt, they are not very effective.
However, there remains a glimmer of hope: to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years. This would reduce disaster risk for sites by 25%.