Global Climate Change (GCC) and Cultural Heritage: the Work of the ICOMOS Scientific Council

Transcription

1 Global Climate Change (GCC) and Cultural Heritage: the Work of the ICOMOS Scientific Council Pamela Jerome, AIA, LEED AP ICOMOS SC Officer Partner, WASA/Studio A New York, NY UNESCO Initiative During the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee (July 2005), the WH Center was asked to convene a working group of experts to explore the impacts of GCC on World Heritage A meeting took place in March 2006 at the WH Center with ICOMOS, ICCROM and IUCN participating 1

2 World Heritage Facts and Figures Of 83 States Parties to WH Convention (half), 72% acknowledged GCC has impacted their natural and cultural heritage 59% are mobilizing political support 55% are undertaking specific actions to deal with the issue, although mostly limited to monitoring 125 World Heritage sites are specifically threatened by GCC 71% Natural World Heritage sites 46% Cultural World Heritage sites 8% mixed Cultural and Natural World Heritage sites 2

3 Type of GCC Threats (some sites are affected by more than one factor) Sea level rise (27 sites) Glacial retreat and glacial melting (19) Species migration or tree-line shift (18) Rainfall pattern changes, increase or drought (18) Loss of biodiversity (17) Hurricane, storms or cyclones (12) Type of GCC Threats (cont d) Frequency of wildfires (9 sites) Erosion (both wind and water driven) (8) Flooding (7) Coral bleaching (6) Coastal erosion (4) Desertification (2) Rise in temperature (1) Sea water temperature and salinity change (1) 3

4 Research UNESCO Priorities Advocacy and implementation Revision of guidelines Prevention 4

5 Arctic Ice Cap Greenland s ice is on land so when it melts, the sea level rises. The current estimate is 155 Gigaton/year (1 million metric tons). 5

6 If the Greenland Ice Sheet melts, the impacts will be enormous. Red areas in this image of southern Florida show locales susceptible to a five-meter rise of sea level, based on elevation. Yellow areas denote urban locations. 6

7 Effects of Sea Level Rise Coastal erosion and flooding Coastal erosion and flooding Water quality and groundwater characteristics Loss of coastal property and habitats Loss of cultural resources and values Impacts on agriculture and aquaculture Loss of tourism, recreation and transportation functions 7

8 8

9 According to NASA satellite data between , 2 trillion tons of land ice have melted from Greenland, Antarctica ti and Alaska. With the 2008 Arctic fall temperatures 4 degrees Celsius warmer (Omestad, 2008), the Arctic amplification effect has increased exponentially outpacing current GCC computer models, as black-water surfaces absorb more heat and accelerate Arctic melting. Ice Masses Area (1,000 sq km) Volume (1,000 cu km) Potential Sea Level Rise (m) Mountain glaciers and small ice caps Greenland 1,785 2, Antarctica (total) 13,586 30, Total 16,051 32,

10 100 m rise in sea level 10

11 ICOMOS SC Interdisciplinary Research on GCC Suggested as a topic for interdisciplinary research at ISC retreat in Bergen, September 2004 Resolution #35 adopted by ICOMOS GA in Xi an, October 2005 Taken on by ISCEAH, IPHC and ICORP at the SC meeting in Rome, June 2006 Adopted by the SC in Edinburgh, September

12 ICOMOS SC Interdisciplinary Research on GCC Pretoria symposium October 2007 results in the Pretoria Recommendations Publication of 12 papers relating to GCC and Cultural Heritage in Risk 2006/07 Follow-up workshop in Quebec City October 2008 Draft of Questionnaire for Heritage Managers on Global Climate Change Pretoria Recommendations: Cultural Heritage and Global Climate Change (2007) Managing static remains in a dynamic landscape Climate change accelerates the dynamics of the landscape 12

13 Polar Heritage Elements accustomed to or designed for the cold deteriorate rapidly in rising temperatures Changes in landscape may lead to disappearance of the place altogether Loss of foundation rigidity as permafrost melts Polar Heritage (cont d) 13

14 Earthen Architectural Heritage Often vernacular structures are very linked to the environmental conditions of their regional context Very little modification of building material from its source; without maintenance it more readily returns to its origins Earthen Architectural Heritage (cont d) 14

15 Stone Longevity of material may be reduced as a result of GCC Increase or change in wet/dry and freeze/thaw cycles Possibility of new chemical ca effectsec Stone (cont d) 15

16 Fortifications Sea level rise for coastal sites Increased frequency and intensity of storms Accelerated impact on World War II sites mostly constructed of steel and reinforced concrete Cultural landscapes may be altered for inland sites Fortifications (cont d) 16

17 Structural Stability Change of structure ss vulnerability to different kinds of problems than designed for Migration of wood-eating insect species Movement of lower level biological growths Wetting and drying out of clayey soils Melting of permafrost Structural Stability (cont d) 17

18 20th Century Heritage Characterized by experimentation and innovation in materials and techniques International Style had little regard to regional context; buildings require massive artificial climate control Accelerated decay and/or obsolescence and abandonment due to major energy consumption 20th Century Heritage (cont d) 18

19 Archaeological Sites Physical impacts on soils, hydrology, chemistry, etc. for subsurface sites Conservation complications by poor past interventions exacerbated Increase in underwater e sites Melting glaciers put frozen sites at risk Archaeological Sites (cont d) 19

20 Vernacular/Historic Villages and Cities Lack of public awareness Faulty municipal regulations Need for regional guidelines Urban sprawl affects economics of the environment Upgrade energy efficiency of traditional buildings Need for greener conservation practice Vernacular/Historic Villages and Cities (cont d) 20

21 Training Lack of training programs specifically for GCC problems and adaptation Solid understanding of materials science Training (cont d) 21

22 Cultural Tourism Changes to travel patterns and choices Greater impact on sites less affected Thousands of hotels and resorts deliberately located on marginal land Cultural Tourism (cont d) 22

23 Intangible Heritage Loss of natural features, flora and fauna will result in loss of living traditions Population movement will put pressure on un-impacted cultural landscapes Relocation will result in loss of traditional caretakers and repair technologies Impacts on cultural practices Intangible Heritage (cont d) 23

24 Cultural Landscapes and Heritage Ensembles Affected by damage to natural and built/landscaped environment Intangible and spiritual values nontransferable Loss of forms that evolved over centuries that were directly responsive to their environment Loss of cultural value due to landscape degradation and flooding Depopulation and abandonment of living sites Cultural Landscapes and Heritage Ensembles (cont d) 24

25 Interpretation Changes to interpretive programs necessary Distinction between information and significance Impact on the capacity to perform conservation work Interpretation (cont d) 25

26 Mitigation costs Difficult Choices Where loss of resources cannot be prevented, transformation from tangible to intangible heritage Understanding the vulnerability of a site part of prioritizing salvage conservation work Efficiency could be increased through multidisciplinary cooperation 26

27 Difficult Choices (cont d) Danger of imposition of expert/scientific-driven responses on communities Local social impact of loss needs to be evaluated Cultural heritage may not be a community s priority Need for resources and programs so that communities can take part equitably in discussions about choices Recommendations for Adaptation Provide online access to pooled information from conferences, workshops, etc. Integrate local and indigenous knowledge into strategies and information databanks Disseminate information through lowcost community workshops 27

28 Recommendations for Adaptation (cont d) No need to demand a static cultural memory Identify a range of places based on rarity and representativeness Use these to engage g wider GCC bodies and advocacy at local, regional, national and international levels Recommendations for Adaptation (cont d) T i h it f i l i th Train heritage professionals in the area of GCC and educate communities Factor in GCC impacts into sustainable management and development plans Evaluate anchor points of cultural memory (local attachment) when setting priorities Locate more case studies to propose suitable strategies and responsibilities 28

29 Recommendations for Adaptation (cont d) Play a role in tourism industry s agenda Use a checklist of questions to raise awareness of potential threats and instill preparation for a GCC future into tourism s planning process Understand what is healthy heritage Recommended Tool Box Use data gathering instruments and techniques Perform research and documentation Collate data and locate centrally for analysis Promote regular maintenance for each category (built environment and in use, un-conserved archaeology, conserved archaeology) 29

30 Recommended Tool Box (cont d) Promote advocacy Provide training workshops Plan for risk preparedness 30