This major report holds a number of firsts for the sector. It is the first ever to explore both intangible and tangible cultural heritage linked to climate change.
The document covers an unparalleled range and breadth of research, and includes hazard diagrams and trends analysis which will help to support our heritage and climate work going forward. The intention is to provide information on the current state of knowledge on the climate change and cultural heritage nexus, more specifically on trends in academic research (peer reviewed publications) and the main concerns and practical responses at the international donor and institutional levels (grey literature publications and reports).
Climate change impacts on cultural heritage are considered at international, regional, national, and local levels by means of a comprehensive systematic review of the international literature, evidence, research, and, when practicable, policies. This review and its accompanying graphics will be a tool to assist the British Council and Cultural Protection Fund (CPF) to optimise positive impacts and/or minimise potential negative impacts of their cultural heritage conservation and safeguarding activities and support beneficiaries through advanced information and improved methodologies.
The review responds to significant knowledge, research gaps and the urgency of climate change threats to heritage. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) International Co-Sponsored Meeting on Culture, Heritage, and Climate Change (ICSM) White Paper of 2022 concludes: ‘Although heritage is present in IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] literature (Assessment Reports and Special Reports), this inclusion is unsystematic, superficial, and not inclusive of the vast diversity of types of heritage and risks posed by climate change.’ The White Paper also asserts that ‘climate change impacts are exacerbating environmental, social, and cultural risks to heritage.
