Climate crisis hastening decline of world’s oldest cave paintings

Rising temperatures have ‘grave implications for conservation of globally significant cultural heritage,’ say experts

Sulawesi cave art with hand imprints (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The climate crisis is speeding up the deterioration of some of the world’s oldest cave paintings, experts say.

The paintings in Indonesia, which are up to 45,000 years old, include the oldest known hand stencil, dating from 39,900 years ago, according to a study in Scientific Reports.

Rising temperatures and more consecutive dry days, combined with standing water from monsoon rains, are increasingly creating ideal conditions for weathering caused by salt crystals, the researchers found.