Cultural Heritage, Climate Change and Disasters

PRAXIS is delighted to release our new report on Cultural heritage in the context of disasters and climate change (download here!) prepared in partnership with the CRITICAL project led by the University of Edinburgh. The report highlights the opportunities cultural heritage research can offer to support worldwide efforts to tackle climate change and disaster impacts. It also provides key recommendations for funders and policymakers in the UK and worldwide.

In a collaboration between the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Urgency Grants invited proposals from researchers using innovative approaches to address the impacts of natural disasters and climate change on tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. The funded projects cover much of the Middle East (Egypt, Turkey, Yemen), Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe), South East Asia (India, Himalaya region, Sri Lanka), and South America (Iron Quadrangle in Brazil).

• How is climate change affecting cultural heritage, especially in the Global South?
• And how can cultural heritage be effectively mobilised to respond differently and more inclusively to the impacts of climate change and natural hazards?

The report showcases the results of a series of workshops organised by the PRAXIS and CRITICAL research teams between February and September 2022 and project-specific policy briefs prepared by the nine projects of the Cultural Heritage and Climate Change Cohort. The report informs future research and policy on disaster preparedness, emergency response, loss and damage, mitigation and adaptation to current and expected global environmental changes. It provides lessons learnt from international collaborations between academics, practitioners and research participants and recommendations to research councils and policymakers in the UK and beyond.

Online webinar on “Cultural Heritage, Climate Change and Disasters: Relevance, Challenges and Future Actions”

Location: Online, Zoom platform. Registrations at: https://universityofleeds.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUldumuqD0rHNYwGs7oVQbnZfUab_pdfO0Y
When: Wednesday 30^th November 2022, 1-3pm (UK time)
Organisers: Dr Francesca Giliberto (f.giliberto@leeds.ac.uk) and Dr Luba Pirgova-Morgan (l.pirgova-morgan@leeds.ac.uk), research fellows on the PRAXIS project, University of Leeds

Description:

During this online webinar, we will launch the report titled "Cultural heritage in the context of disasters and climate change: insights from the DCMS-AHRC Cultural Heritage and Climate Change Cohort" recently published by PRAXIS (University of Leeds) and the CRITICAL project (University of Edinburgh). With this event, we will also promote knowledge exchange and shared learning on the complex interrelationships between cultural heritage, climate change and disasters between academic and non-academic stakeholders in the UK and the Global South, and foster further discussion and collaboration, particularly in terms of how to improve current heritage and climate change policies and practices. We will bring together representatives from the Cultural Heritage and Climate Change cohort with other interested parties such as members from funding bodies, policymakers, academics, practitioners and other stakeholders to stimulate a constructive discussion on this topic.

A roundtable with representatives of these key actors will stimulate a discussion around two main aspects:
1) the ways to improve current practices tackling cultural heritage management in the face of climate change and disaster impacts;
2) the role of international collaborations between academics, practitioners and research participants when approaching a variety of cultural heritage forms as well as differing approaches to the assessment of risk.

A 2-page policy brief will be prepared after the event by the PRAXIS team to include the lessons learned from this online event and PRAXIS participation at COP27.

Agenda:

13.00–13.10 | Introduction and welcome to participants by Dr Luba Pirgova-Morgan

13.10–13.15 | Opening remarks by Dr James Fenner, Senior Investment Manager - Heritage, Culture and Creative Arts, Arts and Humanities Research Council

13.15–13.20 | Opening remarks by Charlotte Marriott, Head of International Cultural Protection, UK’s Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

13.10–13.25 | Presentation of key findings from the report on “Cultural heritage in the context of disasters and climate change” and insights from COP27 by Dr Francesca Giliberto and Dr Rowan Jackson

13.25–14.25 | Roundtable discussion chaired by Dr Luba Pirgova-Morgan. Participants:

• Dr Bernadette Devilat, Principal Investigator, Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage (CAUGH), Nottingham Trent University;
• Dr YoungHwa Cha, Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh;
• Dr Alan Forrest, Biodiversity Scientist, Centre for Middle Eastern Plants, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh;
• Dr Salma Sabour, Post-doctoral Researcher, University of Southampton;
• Stephen Stenning, Global Director Culture in Action, British Council;
• Catherine Childs, Environmental Scientist, Cayman Islands.

14.25–14.55 | Q&A session and open discussion

14.55–15.00 | Closing remarks by Dr Luba Pirgova-Morgan

Watch the recording from the webinar: