Climate Change Communication to Safeguard Cultural Heritage

Abstract

The protection and conservation of cultural heritage is important for our society, not only in order to preserve cultural identity, but also because it acts as a wealth creator, bringing tourism-related opportunities on which many communities depend. However, Europe’s heritage assets are highly exposed to extreme weather events and natural hazards, which may be exacerbated as a result of climate change. The goal of the STORM (Safeguarding Cultural Heritage through Technical and Organisational Resources Management) project is to provide critical decision-making as well as technical tools to multiple sectors and stakeholders engaged in the protection of cultural heritage from extreme events and climate change. Here, the STORM framework will be presented, focusing on the communication of extreme events and climate change information through the risk assessment procedure, which serves as an important basis of the decision-making tools. Using the climate change communication methodology outlined here, the effect of climate change on cultural heritage specific natural hazards can be quantified and subsequently used in the risk assessment procedure, hereby resulting in an increased understanding of climate change risks on cultural heritage. In addition, STORM-developed technical solutions that aid information transfer during and after extreme events will be highlighted.