CONFRONTING CLIMATE CRISIS: A CALL FOR SUSTAINABLE AND ADAPTIVE HERITAGE CONSERVATION

This special issue addresses the urgent threat of climate change to cultural heritage and presents a range of strategies for mitigation and adaptation. The research highlights the diverse impacts of rising temperatures, increased humidity, and extreme weather events on archaeological sites, historic buildings, museums and galleries. The papers provide evidence for a much-needed paradigm shift in the management of heritage conservation signifying a move away from habitual practices with narrowly focussed conceptions of risk towards sustainable and context-specific approaches. Case studies from Greece, the UK, the Philippines, and Egypt demonstrate the importance of localized solutions, the development of data-driven risk assessments, including environmental monitoring systems and the adaptive reuse of heritage structures. The studies also emphasize the critical need for carefully targeted climate control measures and a rejection of a default energy-intense climate management model based on outdated approaches and badly adapted control measures. The collection of papers in this volume, advocates for community engagement and collaboration among stakeholders to promote shared responsibility for heritage preservation. The findings reveal that conventionally used nominal standards are not universally applicable and call for more evidence-based approaches to collection care. By embracing these contextual strategies, the heritage sector can enhance its resilience, move away from traditional conventions and ensure the considered preservation of cultural heritage for current and future generations.