Could Climate Change Damage Iconic Landmarks?

People come from all over the world to experience iconic landmarks first hand. These irreplaceable monuments symbolize many things, including, first and foremost, struggle and freedom. Yet a recent report conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), titled "National Landmarks at Risk," looks at how 30 national U.S. landmarks could be extensively damaged as a result of climate change, and in some cases, even permanently destroyed. 

"Sea-level rise, coastal erosion, increased flooding, heavy rains and more frequent large wildfires are damaging archaeological resources, historic buildings and cultural landscapes across the nation," the report notes., with such locations including the Statute of Liberty, the Kennedy Space Center and Jamestown, Va., affected. 

"You can almost trace the history of the United States through these sites," added Adam Markham, director of climate impacts for the UCS, via USA Today.

As sea levels continue to rise, global sea levels are expected to rise by 1 foot to slightly more than 3 by 2100, according to this year's Fifth Assessment Report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Various environmental threats include coastal erosion and heavy rains to drought with the possibility of heavy wildfires.

Of course, how each of these landmarks could be affected will vary greatly. Jamestown, for instance, may not just be damaged. It could completely disappear, according to National Geographic. As the first permanent English colony in North America, the island is greatly threatened by Virginia's coastal waters, which are projected to rise by nearly six feet as of 2100.