Heritage Responds – Taking Positive Actions on Climate Change

Our heritage now faces unprecedented challenges from climate change. However, heritage can also be part of the solution. This article is drawn from the 'Heritage Responds' report issued by the Historic Environment Forum in England in November 2021, just ahead of the United Nations COP26 Conference in Glasgow. The purpose of the report was to highlight the positive actions already being taken by the heritage sector in England, and their partners in academia, ecology, development and the commercial sector, to address a broad range of climate factors. The key message is that while we recognise the very real risks that climate change presents to our tangible heritage, we also recognise there are solutions we can bring to the table that help not only to protect heritage but also bring wider benefits to local, and wider, communities.

The full report - 'Heritage Responds – Taking Positive Action on Climate Change' – is available on the Historic Environment Forum webpage: Heritage Responds - Historic Environment Forum. It is accompanied by an online repository of case studies demonstrating actions across research, technology, innovation, advocacy, carbon and energy reduction, adaptive reuse, nature-based solutions, community engagement and skills development.

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• Keywords: archaeology, heritage, climate change, carbon, landscape, conservation, sustainability
• Accepted: 21 March 2022. Published: 26 May 2022
• Funding: The publication of this article is funded by the European Archaeological Council.
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