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In 200 years, humans reversed a climate trend lasting 50 million years, study says

By Susan Scutti, CNN

Updated 2021 GMT (0421 HKT) December 10, 2018

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The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, is one of 156 World Heritage sites in the coastal Mediterranean endangered by the effects of climate change, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
Photos: Historic Mediterranean cities in danger from climate change
Historical sites endangered by climate change – The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, is one of 156 World Heritage sites in the coastal Mediterranean endangered by the effects of climate change, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
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The Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Cathedral in the "Square of Miracle" in Italy are in danger of flooding by 2100 due to climate change, says a study by the Coastal Risks and Sea-Level Rise Research Group.
Photos: Historic Mediterranean cities in danger from climate change
The Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Cathedral in the "Square of Miracle" in Italy are in danger of flooding by 2100 due to climate change, says a study by the Coastal Risks and Sea-Level Rise Research Group.
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Rising sea levels and increasing erosion, the study said, may endanger historical icons such as this petrified victim of the volcanic eruption of Mont Vesuvius in 79 AD at the archaeological site of Pompeii, in Italy.
Photos: Historic Mediterranean cities in danger from climate change
Rising sea levels and increasing erosion, the study said, may endanger historical icons such as this petrified victim of the volcanic eruption of Mont Vesuvius in 79 AD at the archaeological site of Pompeii, in Italy.
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Like Split, Croatia, many of the endangered World Heritage sites sit on or near the water. Our ancestors choose to build there because of the access to fishing and commerce.
Photos: Historic Mediterranean cities in danger from climate change
Like Split, Croatia, many of the endangered World Heritage sites sit on or near the water. Our ancestors choose to build there because of the access to fishing and commerce.
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Venice is one of the cities at highest risk of destruction by the effects of climate change. Rising sea waters have flooded the city for centuries, but the study's projections show it could face 8 foot high floods due to rising sea levels within 80 years.
Photos: Historic Mediterranean cities in danger from climate change
Venice is one of the cities at highest risk of destruction by the effects of climate change. Rising sea waters have flooded the city for centuries, but the study's projections show it could face 8 foot high floods due to rising sea levels within 80 years.
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Due to the steep topography of many of the sites clustered along the Mediterranean Sea, most cities, then and now, were built at the water's edge.
Photos: Historic Mediterranean cities in danger from climate change
Due to the steep topography of many of the sites clustered along the Mediterranean Sea, most cities, then and now, were built at the water's edge.
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The Avenue of the Knights in the medieval Old Town of Rhodes, Greece, is also in danger. "If our common heritage is destroyed or lost, it is not possible to replace or rebuild it," said lead study author Lena Reimann, a doctoral researcher for the Coastal Risks and Sea-Level Rise Research Group in Germany.
Photos: Historic Mediterranean cities in danger from climate change
The Avenue of the Knights in the medieval Old Town of Rhodes, Greece, is also in danger. "If our common heritage is destroyed or lost, it is not possible to replace or rebuild it," said lead study author Lena Reimann, a doctoral researcher for the Coastal Risks and Sea-Level Rise Research Group in Germany.
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