"Today, a new normal is being rewritten in our own lifetimes amid climate-related disasters, from smoke-filled skies to lethal heat waves. Yet accepting these conditions as normal threatens to unravel what made the world capable of withstanding these shocks in the first place. To restore the rich relationships of species, and our place among them, we need to remember our “baselines,” whether that’s in Maine or your own backyard.

One of the best ways to do this, even scientists admit, is telling stories."

#EveryPlaceHasAClimateStory
#ClimateHeritage

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/08/29/shifting-baselines-maine-forests/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=272303038&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--m11_VZS6hbWVdMJsXMdlc1DPRFQ_NP4JSUo4dyE1q-LhLsXurdRodAK4r2Lv1sGc9vvu1pESxefz6fP1mCQP1bxCzpg&utm_content=272303038&utm_source=hs_email

"Cultural heritage is strangely invisible in U.S. attention to climate change.

I say strangely because every community holds history and heritage. Every community has ties to places and stories that shape our senses of who we are. Heritage is part of human behavior. It’s part of the social sciences that help us understand society and how we live in the world. But somehow, climate change has come to be defined as atmospheric models, ecosystems and economic impacts — and parks that conserve heritage at the national scale as nature alone. We’ve developed a blind spot for the climate connections of deep human connections.

...

Climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in August [2022] direct $500 million to the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management for conservation and an additional $500 million to the National Park Service for staffing. The new law does not specify that any of this funding be used for cultural heritage. It is essential for our climate future that it is.

...

The IRA is a chance to write a new story for how the U.S. responds to climate change. We have much to gain from recognizing cultural heritage as an essential character in that story. We should ensure that programs and capacity to manage and engage heritage well are built anew to carry it forward."

Sharing this on the one-year anniversary of the signing of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act-

#ClimateHeritage
#ClimateChange
#IRA

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/3689312-conserving-cultural-heritage-is-vital-for-climate-adaptation/

"For many visitors, the town of Lahaina is a place to go for tropical beaches. But for residents of Hawaii, it is a trove of history.

Its heritage museum, in a landmark courthouse, houses artifacts from before the rest of the world knew Hawaii existed. Its oldest building, the Baldwin Home, was occupied by the 19th-century physician who saved Maui from an epidemic of smallpox. Its central feature, a sprawling 150-year-old banyan tree, was planted to commemorate the arrival of Christian missionaries in 1873.

On Wednesday, that legacy and more appeared to be in ashes, consumed by the hurricane-driven wildfires that have devastated the island of Maui, razing much of the historic district of Lahaina, once Hawaii’s royal capital, in a matter of hours."

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/us/lahaina-maui-hawaii-fires.html

We pay the most attention to the effects of climate change on cultural heritage after it has been destroyed. To be clear - this is the wrong order.

Still taking in the loss of people and places to wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii - heartsick -

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/us/lahaina-maui-hawaii-fires.html

Some architects and homeowners are using a "back to the past" approach to building passive cooling into homes in southern Florida. In this, traditional and Indigenous techniques such as deep porches, courtyards, windows that open, and raising buildings off the ground (also good re: flooding) either remove or help reduce dependence on AC for cooling.

That it is now newsworthy that windows that open are climate-relevant features in a home and that developers are currently building homes with windows that don't open because this is cheaper for them is also rather mind-bending--

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/climate-change/article277831983.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=269283695&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9_OKf3UI4uCHSpFYi89-imT4lHcmapgWjOA-BAG89ZcgWpPwS29KLA8z_RmNpn2L7pjf1fjNDdllYrepOSXFyW5jqxBg&utm_content=269283695&utm_source=hs_email

"We talk a lot about how climate change could impact our future,” said Jennifer Grimaudo, the senior director of sustainability at Iron Mountain. “We don’t spend a lot of time talking about how it could — or it is, in the case of Appalshop — impacting our past.”

So true. And I would add - nor do we talk a lot about how impacts to things and places and knowledge that connect us to our past can change how we think about or can plan for our future--

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/07/us/kentucky-floods-appalshop-recovery.html?searchResultPosition=1&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=269283695&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--cN8j05e1g2h3L0lgiCT2aSOOWNfXtkcB6nqtFysBICzfBq1d0-Pu1DwS9aotNT6UVJQBhzIygItHcKVzT4NlMBJPhtg&utm_content=269283695&utm_source=hs_email

When was the last time you saw heritage called out as a source of imagination in a climate change planning document?

Yep, it's been a while for me too. But Historic Environment Scotland has done it!

Lovely new statement of purpose by HES for its roles in addressing climate change. Contributions heritage makes include:

"- Buildings that are our homes and workplaces

- Ruins, cairns, and stone circles that capture our imagination

- Places we visit to explore, to relax and to mark important moments

- Evidence of people who lived here before us preserved in the ground beneath our feet

- All our landscapes, from parks, streetscapes and gardens to places where historic battles were fought, lost and won"

#ClimateHeritage
#ClimateChange

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/archives-and-research/publications/publication/?publicationId=e9bd5276-9423-492b-9f3b-b04600b9c798

So pleased to see this recognition of how and where traditional architecture can help reduce the effects of extreme heat:

"There is no single architectural technique that can solve the problem of sweltering heat, which has gripped large parts of Europe this summer. But on a continent where air-conditioning is relatively limited, sustainable [and traditional] building techniques can go a long way in protecting residents, according to experts."

#ClimateHeritage
#ClimateChange
#Heat

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/28/world/europe/europe-heat-buildings-air-conditioning.html

Destruction of cultural heritage in Ukraine by Russian actions is mentioned in Heather Cox Richardson's Letter from an American for today.

"Russia’s attacks on the city have also badly damaged famous cultural sites, earning condemnation in “the strongest terms” from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Such attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure and cultural treasures are another attempt to swing the war in Russia’s direction."

Not a milestone I ever wanted to see, but as it's happening, I'm glad she's writing about it.

#ClimateHeritage
#CulturalHeritage
#Ukraine

HCR FB link: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson

Innovation and technology for climate are usually presented as something flashy and new.

Communities in Spain are showing that it can also mean going back in time and recovering infrastructure and knowledge from the past.

"“It’s hard to change mentalities,” he said. “But if you understand efficiency in terms of multifunctionality, then the traditional irrigation systems are much more efficient. They better retain water, they recharge the aquifers, they improve the fertility of the soils.”

But the biggest challenge to saving acequias may be preserving the age-old knowledge behind their existence."

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/world/europe/spain-drought-acequias.html?unlocked_article_code=kybH6b7m-F6yavpzrXkpfspdU7zhNqGBj0hr1kVRZgd7H5WZ2Ztpi_64mrAb3fgiC6yjq7bKN9tto68MbE-ggVQhyBd8fR-GdPjh2MWk_eCuFuS9kNEFeN742Yz8l04nNvfq_tI2HQV8i3o0c6yRPzu8sCKDPrPy0gMMEaih80Jo5yVPvb5BItfZ-3RJWUjto6-6h7x7iFa1qxbbE7_c0HA-vby4JhQzi7lAUxMLOw4OluZeYhGtZyZwZsdcKzvlNQIYumRxfctc_4JqSZ_IowEjZw5W_bWFGF392NQcfeh7v_U5d7wf9h0WHvdCvls50f_2LeoXI7Ryrh_avUx3o_DU4IzP&smid=url-share&fbclid=IwAR1RsA07Fny00DNxzwX3_Ncxe5ShvDTGfoWVMwa4Ahc5lNLFtmgUOQ_k_Ak

My perspective: heritage should not harm.

"Mr. Nardella showed a rendering of the planned renovation of one downtown street, where asphalt will be replaced with pietra serena stones and flanked with orange trees. It was one example, he said, but making changes in the historical center was hard.

“The national law to protect the cultural heritage is an obstacle,” Mr. Nardella said. “But so is our cultural identity and our history. Our cities have been like this for centuries.”

In historic preservation and cultural resources management, there is often a lot of pressure to change what is old for cheaper development, what is easier in the moment. Climate change, unfortunately, is not a passing fad. So one of our challenges is to work well with heritage so that we carry forward meaning and connection to place, but not at the expense of current human lives.

Also - am wondering - is the asphalt described here historic?

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/world/europe/europe-heat-wave-italy.html

Tuvalu is showing so much courage and creativity here. And it's heartbreaking that they are having to-

"Confronted with the prospect of losing its cultural identity, the government is examining how to use augmented and virtual reality to allow displaced and future generations of Tuvaluans to continue to exist as both a culture and a nation, complete with ancestral knowledge and value systems. If this concept becomes a reality, the Tuvaluan people will be able to interact with one another in a digital dimension, in a way that imitates real life and helps to preserve shared language and customs."

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/27/tuvalu-climate-crisis-rising-sea-levels-pacific-island-nation-country-digital-clone?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=264286954&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_-wRa0HtZVlokBe77YzXyk6mJDlfOKI6kOFqpad7Il64L-4QH9Rf9XJ_kiekZy8EgMr5eGYZarrYR15KZeQrpYPr-9qQ&utm_content=264286954&utm_source=hs_email

Documentary recommendation: Citizen Jane | Battle for the City

Robert Moses had visions of rebuilding New York with sleek shiny towers of housing crisscrossed with expressways. Jane Jacobs saw people of cities as primary - how they interact with each other, how they live in and use spaces. Moses had lots of power. Spoiler alert: Jacobs stopped him in the end.

What struck me in this film is how we're still fighting this battle and - as climate change impacts increase and yet more people move to urban areas - on an even larger scale.

(for the record, I'm Team Jane.)

#ClimateHeritage

Ihttps://vimeo.com/408636441

Colleagues in Europe are compiling the HiBER Atlas - describing where and how historic buildings are being retrofitted for energy efficiency.

Recommendations for additions welcome!

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.hiberatlas.com/en/welcome-1.html

It's unusual to see concern for archaeology in articles about current droughts and water infrastructure, so pleased to see this in today's NYTimes piece about changes in the Grand Canyon due to low flow in the Colorado River -

"A lusher, less-barren canyon might not sound like a bad thing. But grasses and shrubs block the wind from blowing sand onto the slopes and terraces, where hundreds of cultural sites preserve the history of the peoples who lived in and around the canyon. Sand shields these sites, which include stone structures, slab-lined granaries and craterlike roasting pits, from weather and the elements. With less sand drifting up from the riverside, the sites are more exposed to erosion and trampling by visitors."

But also noting - there's no attention here to why these sites matter and what would be lost if they erode away. And none of the students or faculty on trip the article is organized around are described as studying or specializing in archaeology, anthropology, or other forms or heritage, so it's unlikely they will make useful and needed connections between past and present.

There is so much possibility here, but much more is needed to realize it. Sometimes the missed opportunities make me ache-

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/06/06/climate/grand-canyon-colorado-river.html?smid=url-share

Pleased - and excited/nervous - to announce the launch of the website for my company Lifting Rocks - Climate and Heritage Consulting!

I started Lifting Rocks in 2019 and have been working through it ever since, but it hasn't had a home on the web until now.

Often when I say that I work with climate change and cultural heritage, people will respond with interest but aren't sure how these are related or what projects to work with them can look like. My goal is that this website answers both of these - with lots of pictures of rocks!

#ClimateHeritage
#ClimateChange

https://www.liftingrocks.org

Postdoc opportunity in Environmental History and Public Policy!

2-year position to be held jointly between Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology in Jena and Princeton Uni. in the USA.

Application deadline not noted in announcement, but as position is intended to start in Sept. 2023, deadline is likely soon. There's a contact email for more info.

#ClimateHeritage #EnvHist4Policy
#History

https://puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/apply/application.xhtml?listingId=30022

Filing under: Attention to heritage for climate apparently missing (again)-

NYTimes reports on plans for a new $700m climate campus on Governor's Island.

Article says "It will include two newly constructed classroom and research buildings on three acres of land that are currently undeveloped and will also make use of some historic buildings on the island."

What it doesn't say - will there be attention on the campus as to how to integrate historic buildings into climate mitigation and adaptation planning?

We cannot new-build our way out the climate crisis. Estimates I've seen are that as much as 80% of the building stock that we will have in 2050 is already built. Existing and historic buildings hold the carbon that went into constructing them - and historic buildings also hold unique design features, history, connections to place. Viewing historic buildings as offices for innovation but not as a focus of attention and innovation themselves is a big gap.

A good source for info on this: Architecture 2030 (https://architecture2030.org)

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/24/nyregion/climate-hub-governors-island.html?searchResultPosition=4&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=255673944&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-991VmASZiIqRWmUjDIIgSZnLHtZhtOR7ygqhzJGQkB43osFw46GTcuzQC-i556LQcbBl9QRKCJsr1bDIKFT28FlD7oog&utm_content=255673944&utm_source=hs_email

New heritage feature by @carbonbrief!

Gathering hosted by University of East Anglia last week brought together approaches to recognizing cultural heritage as part of global attention to and action on climate loss and damage.

Why does this matter? In words of organizer Dr. Joanne Clark

“Heritage is all the inherited conditions, objects, places and culture, as well as contemporary activities, knowledge, meanings and behaviours that are drawn from. Literally, heritage is everything that we are and everything that we want to become. So it is crucial for the preservation of society and social wellbeing. And it is increasingly thought to offer recognition to underrepresented populations.”

There have been many times when I've wished for a (net zero?) transporter beam so I could effectively be in two places at once. #SAA2023 was great, but I really wanted to be in the UK for this too.

#ClimateHeritage

https://www.carbonbrief.org/loss-and-damage-how-can-culture-and-heritage-loss-be-measured-and-addressed/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=253162342&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9cTBf_v2h-o7-Mtym5lhRqEireZ5V7sg0VacgYVN_OT4CvnX0yCvrIQQNNVuXjr590PFM2cw6zm0F-n7WD3cfd2gGURQ&utm_content=253162342&utm_source=hs_email

Session promo for Society for American Archaeology #SAA2023 annual meeting starting tomorrow in Portland, OR:

Archaeology and Landscape Learning for a Climate-Changing World
(Fri, March 31, 9am-12pm, Rms B118 & 119)

How do we figure out how to live in unfamiliar places? For nearly 20 years, the model of landscape learning - which outlines how humans gather, use, remember, and share environmental information - has been a pathway for archaeologists to explore the processes of adaptation as part of human colonization and migration in many times and places around the world.

But from its inception, landscape learning was also recognized as something humans need to do any time they find themselves in environments they do not know. Modern anthropogenic climate change is now changing environments around the world in new and rapid ways. The World Bank estimates that more than 200 million people will likely migrate due to climate by 2050- and billions more will experience their environments changing around them. Landscape learning is becoming a project for all of human society.

Therefore, we now ask: what has archaeology learned about landscape learning that can help with the challenges of climate change? This session explores human capacity and practices in learning environments, examines how threads of learning - or lack thereof - have contributed to our present, and proposes ideas for policy for archaeology, migration, and climate adaptation going forward.

#ClimateHeritage
#ClimateChange
#LandscapeLearning
#Archaeology