Cultural heritage and climate change
Resolution 2549
(2024)
| Provisional version
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text
adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of
the Assembly, on 24 May 2024 (see Doc. 15926, report of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education
and Media, rapporteur: Mr Andries Gryffroy). See
also Recommendation 2277
(2024).
1. In 2021, the Parliamentary Assembly
called for an ambitious new legal framework, both at national and European
levels, to anchor “the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable
environment” to the European system of human rights. At the Reykjavik
Summit in May 2023, a forward-looking agenda was set out for the Council
of Europe, whereby the heads of State and government committed to
strengthening the work on the human rights aspects of the environment.
In line with this newly set political agenda, the Council of Europe Framework
Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (CETS No. 199,
“Faro Convention”) affirms that cultural heritage and culture in
general are at the centre of a new vision for sustainable development.
2. The Assembly is concerned that all forms of cultural heritage
– tangible and intangible – are now directly and indirectly threatened
by the consequences of climate change. Increased temperatures, extended heatwaves,
violent storms, floods, drought, landslides and wildfires affect
monuments, archaeological sites, historic cities, historical stately
homes and vernacular buildings, cultural landscapes and historic
gardens, museum collections, archives and libraries.
3. Similarly, climate change is seriously threatening the values,
lives and practices of heritage communities whose livelihoods are
intricately linked to nature, such as Sami communities in northern
parts of Europe. The traditions and way of life of these communities
are now at risk, not only through climate change but also through governmental
and economic development actions in the fields of forestry, mining
and energy supply, some of which are themselves designed to combat
the effects of climate change and to diversify and expand energy sources
within Europe. The Assembly therefore considers that a broader transnational
European land-use plan for Sami rights is needed to deal with this
European cross-border problem. This could be a two-way process in view
of the Sami’s thorough traditional knowledge of landscape and climate
that would be valuable for scientific research, preservation of
the natural world and climate adaptation in times of crisis.
4. Only a few member States of the Council of Europe include
cultural heritage in climate change policies and there is generally
little co-ordination between ministries that are overseeing different
issues related to climate change. The challenges posed by climate
change to cultural heritage require adequate political responses
at national, regional, local and European levels, a radical change
of mindset and institutional behaviour, and a review of current
methods and processes.
5. Accordingly, the Assembly recommends that the Council of Europe
member States:
5.1 sign and ratify
the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural
Heritage for Society, the Council of Europe Landscape Convention
(ETS No. 176) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention for the Safeguarding of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and accede to the European and
Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA), if they have not
already done so;
5.2 where applicable, sign and ratify the Indigenous and Tribal
Peoples Convention (C169) of the International Labour Organization
(ILO);
5.3 pursue the effective implementation of the Council of
Europe Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)20 on human
rights and the protection of the environment.
6. The Assembly also calls on national, regional and local authorities
of the Council of Europe member States, each within their competences
and in co-ordination with each other, to include cultural heritage preservation
in their strategies designed to address climate change and its impact,
and in particular:
6.1 value cultural
heritage that is iconic and visible to the public as an asset to
raise awareness about the impact of climate change and stress the
urgency of climate action;
6.2 learn about and make use of traditional adaptation and
mitigation strategies inherent in cultural heritage – such as water,
fire and risk management; traditional land use and biodiversity; interconnections
between the built and natural environment; energy efficiency, natural
ventilation and cooling; local building materials, maintenance and
reuse in the circular economy; transmission of acquired knowledge,
skills and craftsmanship;
6.3 integrate cultural heritage and climate science to combine
scientific findings and research with human experience acquired
over centuries or millennia that is inherent in tangible and intangible heritage,
such as climate-related evidence gathered from archaeological sites
or knowledge of local ecosystems, climate conditions and changes
that are perpetuated within heritage communities;
6.4 undertake heritage assessment to consider the consequences
of climate change on different categories of cultural heritage and,
in particular, develop better understanding of root causes and cumulative
effects, monitor and map heritage vulnerabilities and establish
comparative data and indicators at national and European levels.
7. As key elements of these strategies, member States should
also:
7.1 build institutional capacity,
platforms and co-operation processes for climate governance, which pay
due attention to threats to cultural heritage, in order to work
transversally, reinforce coherence between sectors, broaden partnerships
and develop innovative business models;
7.2 develop participatory governance models to involve the
public, and especially young people, in monitoring and recording
of heritage at risk (photogrammetry, digital inventories and mapping
initiatives) to raise awareness on this issue, gather knowledge,
engage citizens in climate action and build community resilience
to climate change;
7.3 rethink planning of urban and rural areas to minimise
the adverse effects of climate change on different categories of
cultural heritage;
7.4 use life-cycle assessment tools and review technical standards
and energy efficiency requirements to adapt them to specific needs
in the heritage sector, also to preserve authenticity and integrity
of heritage sites;
7.5 foster efficient resource and energy management, and invest
in research, seeking to combine high-tech with low-tech solutions,
also learning from traditional sustainable solutions that are part
of cultural heritage;
7.6 provide financial incentives, such as earmarked subsidies
or tax incentives, to stimulate the circular economy and reuse of
building materials in cultural heritage preservation, as well as
the retrofitting and upgrading of historic buildings, and their
regular maintenance and repair.
8. The Assembly invites the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
of the Council of Europe to assist local and regional authorities
in the member States to play an active role in this process and
to include cultural heritage concerns in local or regional strategies
to counter climate change.
9. In the framework of the European Green Deal and to honour
the ambitions of the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Assembly
invites the European Commission to build synergies with the Council
of Europe, UNESCO and international heritage organisations with
a view to:
9.1 developing guidance
to assess the impact of climate change on different categories of
cultural heritage;
9.2 providing a framework to harmonise monitoring and mapping
of heritage vulnerabilities, gathering comparative data and indicators
at European level, also considering threats triggered or amplified
by climate change;
9.3 reviewing technical standards and energy efficiency requirements
at the level of the European Union to adapt them to the specific
needs in the heritage sector.
