Belt and Suspenders? The World Heritage Convention’s Role in Confronting Climate Change

Burns, William C. G.

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Belt and Suspenders? The World Heritage Convention’s Role in Confronting Climate Change

Review of European Community & International Environmental Law, Vol. 18, pp. 149-163, 2009

16 Pages Posted: 18 Oct 2009 Last revised: 23 Jan 2014

See all articles by William C. G. Burns

William C. G. Burns

Institute for Carbon Removal Law & Policy, American University

Date Written: 2009

Abstract

In the past couple of years, several NGOs filed petitions with the World Heritage Committee, asking them to list 5 World Heritage sites as "in danger" due to threats associated with climate change, potentially triggering a set of obligations to protect the sites. This article argues that the Committee's decision to reject the petitions is unsupportable from a legal perspective, and suggests a way forward for the Committee in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation issues.

Keywords: Climate change, World Heritage Convention, World Heritage Committee

JEL Classification: K32, K33

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Burns, William C.G., Belt and Suspenders? The World Heritage Convention’s Role in Confronting Climate Change (2009). Review of European Community & International Environmental Law, Vol. 18, pp. 149-163, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1490374