Climate change is accelerating the deterioration of some of the world's oldest cave paintings that date back about 45,0000 years, researchers found.
Analysis of cave art at 11 sites at Maros-Pangkep, in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, indicates that rising global temperatures and severe weather events are creating conditions leading the rock surfaces to break up, a study published in Scientific Reports said.
The artwork in the area includes what is believed to be the world’s oldest hand stencil, created by pressing a hand against a cave wall and spraying wet red-mulberry pigments over it. There are also pictures of wild pigs and hunting figures in the area.
The study suggests that changes in temperature and humidity from periods of heavy rainfall to drought promote the formation of salt crystals on the surface of the rocks and lead to fragments breaking off.
The increased number of severe weather events caused by man-made climate change are believed to accelerate the process.
“The equatorial tropics house some of the earliest rock art yet known, and it is weathering at an alarming rate,” the researchers said.
They warned that the continually rising temperatures had “grave implications for the conservation of this globally significant cultural heritage”.
Conservation efforts and monitoring are needed to protect the art in the limestone caves that was first discovered by archaeologists in the 1950s, said the paper’s author Jillian Huntley, of Griffith University in Australia.
Before the discoveries in Indonesia, early Europeans were thought to have been the first to paint cave walls about 40,000 years ago. But the paintings in South Sulawesi are thought to be as old or even older.
The art effectively tracks the departure of early humans out of Africa about 100,000 years ago and their migrations to Europe and Asia.
The specs: 2019 Cadillac XT4
Price, base: Dh145,000
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 237hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
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- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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