Towards a Framework for Evaluating Existing International Best Practices on
Heritage and Climate Change
Andrew Potts, Executive Director, United States National Committee, ICOMOS (US/ICOMOS)
::
US/ICOMOS Climate Change and Heritage Initiative
v. 4.03.14
• 50th anniversary US/ICOMOS KnowledgeExchange initiative
to enhance international cultural heritage collaboration around
pressing issues of concern.
• Focus on themes that (a) pose an existential level of
importance to US cultural heritage practice and (b) enjoy a
rich, mature level of engagement abroad.
• Transnational nature of climate change impacts and necessity
of climate change response made climate change and heritage
and obvious choice.
• US/ICOMOS will promote international knowledge exchange
around climate change and heritage, aid US heritage
professionals to benchmark themselves against international
best practices and peer practices and in the process develop
proposals for updating international standards.
Some Sources of International Best Practices regard Heritage [site
management] and Climate Change
v. 4.03.14
• “Predicting and managing the impacts of
Climate Change on World Heritage" and the
"Strategy to assist States Parties to
implement management responses" (2006) http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/activi
ty-393-1.doc
• World Heritage Committee Decision 30
COM 7.1 (2006) http://whc.unesco.org/document/10045
• “Policy document on the impacts of climate
change on World Heritage Properties” 2008 http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2006/whc06-30com-
07.1e.pdf
United States National Park Service (NPS)Climate Change Response Program
+
&Associate Directors,
Chief of Staff,
Science Advisor,
Chief of CCRP,
a Regional Director,
and a Superintendent
NPS Climate
Change
Coordinating
Group
which is:
4 Pillars of the NPS Climate Change Response Strategy
Working w. data, trends, observations:
Climate Projections/Modeling
Inventory/Monitoring
What to do with data –decisions, planning:
Natural Resources & Cultural Resources Management
Scenario Planning
Facilities Management
Reducing NPS environmental footprint:
Reducing C Emissions
Improving Sustainability
Sharing, learning, and engaging NPS and public w. Science, Adaptation, and Mitigation:
Interpreter Training
New Exhibits
Intern & Fellowship Programs
Science
Adaptation
Mitigation
Communication
"One of the most precious values of the
national parks is their ability to teach us about
ourselves and how we relate to the natural
world. This important role may prove
invaluable in the near future as we strive to
understand and adapt to a changing climate."
—
NPS Director Jon Jarvis, October 28, 2009
CR Across 4 Pillars of NPS Climate Change Response
v. 4.3.14
• Climate science at CR-relevant scales• Vulnerability assessments• Invent/monitoring techniques/protocols• Integrated database/GIS• Preservation science• Documentation science
• Paleoclimate• Social climatic thresholds• Shifting baselines• Past human impacts on environments• Paleogenetics
Science
• Adaptation approaches • Decision frameworks• Contexts/studies to support decision frameworks• Policy and standards to support approaches/ decisions
• Identifying examples of past social adaptability per env. change• Relating past adaptability to current issues, methods, and decisions
Adaptation
• Integration of historic buildings into energy efficiency plans• Conservation through historic or native landscapes• Reduce C footprint of management practices
• Preserve past architectural and landscape techniques suited to local environments• Use of cultural resources to conserve/re-establish sense of place and community stewardship
Mitigation
• Cultural resources climate change (CR-CC) literacy• Dialogue between impacts and information in all pillars • CR-CC links between managers (local-international)•CR-CC links to public
• Every place has a climate story:Climate impacts to CR (change@human scale) Past human interaction with climate variability Origins modern climate situation Traditional ecological knowledge
Communication
Dual approach: impacts on resources │ long-term human-environment information from resources
THE INTO VICTORIA DECLARATIONON THE IMPLICATIONS FOR CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITYOF CLIMATE CHANGE
• The destruction of culture is a breach of
intergenerational equity
• To understand, celebrate and cherish one’s
culture is a fundamental human right
• Cultural heritage holds records of past failures to
adapt to climate change and also of how climate
change may be mitigated.
• Climate change debate must be framed in terms
of both physical impacts but also in terms of
cultural identity, diversity and sustainability.
How we see changes in the material world around us?
What do sites teach us about how past societies responded to past environmental change?
What threats does your sites face and how are your responding?
What elements of intangible heritage contribute to resilience?
US/ICOMOS – National Park Service – JM Kaplan FoundationInternational Climate Change and Heritage Initiative
• International Peer-to-Peer exchange pairing US cultural resource managers with peers to benchmark climate change work against each other’s and international best practices;
• “Lessons Learned” Conference in Mobile, AL in July 2016 at the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions biennial Forum; and
• “Knowledge Community: Climate Change” – A virtual platform to foster international knowledge exchange between US practitioners and peers abroad.