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)

::

USICOMOS THEMES for 2015/16:

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:

NGO Work in the United States Since on Climate Change & Heritage Since 2008

+

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.

Thank You!

apotts@usicomos.org