World Heritage and Climate Change: Request to address state party climate action in state of conservation reports and draft decisions

A coalition of 76 organizations urges UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee to hold state parties accountable for their contributions to climate change. The authors argue that the World Heritage Convention requires states to align their national policies, including fossil fuel exports, with the 1.5°C warming limit to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of heritage sites. The statement provides examples of other UN treaty bodies making similar mitigation recommendations to countries such as Australia, Argentina, and Germany.

• The authors argue that the World Heritage Convention obligates state parties to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of properties by aligning their actions, including fossil fuel exports, with a 1.5°C global temperature limit.
• The document recommends that state of conservation reports and draft decisions for climate-vulnerable sites explicitly address whether a state party is achieving its fair share of global emissions reductions and following a 1.5°C pathway.
• The authors suggest specific actions for state parties to reduce their climate contributions, such as phasing out fossil fuel production and exports, refusing new fossil fuel projects, and ending subsidies for high-emission infrastructure.
• The statement highlights a precedent where UN treaty bodies recommend climate mitigation to states to fulfill other treaty obligations; for example, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights urged Germany to close the gap in its 2020 emission reduction targets in November 2018.
• In November 2018, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recommended that Argentina reconsider hydraulic fracturing in the Vaca Muerta region of Neuquén Province due to its potential impact on the global carbon budget for the 1.5°C target.
• The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed concern in September 2019 regarding Australia's continued investment in coal and urged the country to phase out domestic coal use and exports.

APA

Earthjustice (2020). World Heritage and Climate Change: Request to address state party climate action in state of conservation reports and draft decisions. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/state-party-climate-action-19-february-2020.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. World Heritage and Climate Change: Request to address state party climate action in state of conservation reports and draft decisions. 2020. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/state-party-climate-action-19-february-2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=World Heritage and Climate Change: Request to address state party climate action in state of conservation reports and draft decisions |date=19 February 2020 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/state-party-climate-action-19-february-2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2020world, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{World Heritage and Climate Change: Request to address state party climate action in state of conservation reports and draft decisions}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2020}, month = feb, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/state-party-climate-action-19-february-2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }