Transcript Towards evidence for policy development in the area of

CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE HERITAGE
TOWARDS EVIDENCE FOR
POLICY DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA OF
CLIMATE CHANGE AND WORLD HERITAGE
Professor May Cassar
Centre for Sustainable Heritage
University College London
7th European Commission Conference ‘Sauveur’ Safeguarded Cultural Heritage
Understanding and Viability for the Enlarged Europe, Prague, 31st May-3rd June 2006
How should policy on climate change and cultural heritage
be developed while scientific research is still in progress?
Could policy development use evidence
from alternative sources?
What alternative sources of evidence are there?
Venice and its Lagoon inscribed on the
World Heritage List in 1987
“The number of people affected by floods globally has risen from 7 million in the
1960's to 150 million now.." Michael Meacher, The Guardian, 14 February 2003
“15 out of 19 major World Cities are on the coast and threatened by rising sea
levels.” Sir David King, UK Government Chief Scientist
“The continuing and accelerating rate of global climate change
and its potentially severe impacts on nature and human society
call for policy responses. These responses should mitigate
climate change and its impacts as far as possible and help
adaptation to the partly inevitable consequences.”
European Environment Agency, 2004
Climate change has therefore three types of
impact on cultural heritage, particularly World Heritage:
Physical Impact
Social Impact
Cultural Impact
“Human settlements are cultural homes, that nurture the
traditional knowledge and wisdom within our larger ecological
home….Global warming, climate change and the rising sea
level all pose significant threats to Indigenous and local
communities from every region of the world.”
Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus Statement on the Overall Review
Session, 12th United Nations Commission on Sustainable
Development, 21 April 2004, United Nations, New York
Indicators of Environmental Value
System Integrity
Health
Carrying Capacity
Resilience
Process Response to Climate Change
Policy Development for Climate Change and World Heritage
Dealing with uncertainty
Scientific uncertainty:
combination of climate/ anthropogenic effects
Uncertainties about impacts and their implications:
Sourcing information of common interest to regional World Heritage
Creating thematic groups of sites likely to face similar threats
Uncertainties about what to do:
risk framework, toolkits, vulnerability maps
Uncertainties among key actors and key audiences:
Links between the IPCC, UNESCO, European Commission to advance
knowledge from European scientific research to other world regions
Europe: Future Condition and Present Response
• Future Condition (IPCC Technical Summary: Impacts,
Adaptation and Vulnerability):
– Southern Europe and the European Arctic are more
vulnerable than other parts of Europe
– Marginal and poorer areas will be less able to adapt,
leading to important implications of equity
– Adaptive potential of Europe relatively high because of
well-developed political, institutional and technological
support systems
• Present Response European Commission 6th FP
Research Project: Global Climate Change Impact on Built
Heritage and Cultural Landscapes (NOAH’S ARK)
Contract number 501387, 2004-2007