The Acropolis in Greece has remained perched above Athens for millennia, but experts gathered this weekend at the Zappeion Megaron – a remarkable building at the center of Athens’ national gardens – focused on its future rather than about his past.
Indeed, the Parthenon and other buildings, some dating from the 5th century BCE, are increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change. This is the case for heritage sites around the world, and the two-day conference in Athens focused on how to meet the challenge of protecting the planet’s cultural treasures.
“According to leading scientists, there is no doubt that we are now seeing an unprecedented increase in the frequency of extreme weather events, including record temperatures and wildfires, like those seen last summer in Canada, in Portugal, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and Greece,” said Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos. His country was rocked last summer by forest fires in the coastal region of Attica, which left more than 100 people dead.
“Unfortunately, our cultural heritage is not spared from these harmful effects of climate change,” he said in his speech. “As the latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly demonstrate, unless we take immediate action to combat climate change, the damage to the integrity of the world’s monuments will exceptional value could become irreversible. »
Dr. Maria Andreadaki Vlazaki, Secretary General of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, conducted a case study on the impacts on the Acropolis. She was joined by experts from Armenia, Albania, the Czech Republic and other countries who are seeking solutions to harmful climate impacts on museums, archaeological sites, underwater shipwrecks and more.
Experts examine sea level rise, natural disasters and other pressures on cultural heritage, with a view to putting the issue on the agenda of the UN climate summit in New York in September.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres prepared a speech to the conference in which he stressed that it is not just physical treasures that are lost in ancient monuments and sites. The loss of indigenous or traditional languages and knowledge can be accelerated by climate-induced migration.
“Culture is a powerful source of identity and resilience – and can guide us in our response to the global climate emergency,” said Guterres. “Cultural heritage offers environmentally friendly construction techniques and agricultural practices. Intangible cultural heritage also includes knowledge about the environment, weather, atmosphere and biodiversity – all of which support our capacity to adapt.
Guterres acknowledged that it was time to include cultural heritage in discussions on climate change and in broader discussions with UNESCO, the United Nations agency for cultural preservation. UNESCO has had a formal framework for assessing climate impacts on World Heritage sites since 2007.
In 2016, the organization published a report on tourism and climate change which gave examples of 31 UNESCO World Heritage sites in 29 countries. They include widely recognized sites such as the Galapagos Islands, but also lesser known protected sites, such as Greenland. Ilulissat Icefjord – already affected by climate change – and ancient sites in places as diverse as Mauritania and the Philippines.
