| Cultural Heritage is the core of civilization and mankind and contributes substantially to quality of life. Its preservation for its historical value and aesthetics, for its conservation and transmission, must be one of the paramount preoccupations of each citizen and institution. It is therefore fundamental to guard against a major evolution of our planet that is increasing and harmful for all the materials: climate imbalance. The tangible Cultural Heritage, often in an urban environment, is threatened both by extreme climate events, relatively short but recurrent, and by slow, insidious and continuous ones, often in relationship with pollution. The main climate factor at global scale – a general increase of mean temperatures leading to sea level rise - will have direct and indirect consequences on Cultural Heritage. The other climate threats (rain, relative humidity, solar radiation, drought, wind, floods…) and pollution (by gases and particles) will have specific effects on materials of Cultural Heritage, both outdoors (façades of monuments, historical centres of cities, open-air statues, cultural landscapes…) and indoors (museums, libraries, reserves, collections…).
Since the 1st International Workshop on « Climate Change and Cultural Heritage » held at the European University Centre for Cultural Heritage in Ravello in May 2009, three important events appeared:
• The publication in 2014 of the 5th IPCC Assessment Report. For the first time the Cultural Heritage was cited in an IPCC Report.
• The holding in 2015 in Paris of the COP21. Some round-tables were organised during this conference concerning the Cultural Heritage.
• The holding the same year in Paris of the International Scientific Conference “Our Common Future under Climate Change” in the frame and ahead of the COP21. Cultural Heritage was the topic of a special session at this important conference.
During the last decade, the European scientific community was focused on the Threats and Impacts of Climate Change on Cultural Heritage thanks to important projects funded by the European Commission among them: Noah’s Ark (2003-2007) and Climate for Culture (2009-2014).
The time is arrived focusing on the Resilience and Adaptation of Cultural Heritage to Climate Change. Italy and France already have National Adaptation Plan to Climate Change where Cultural Heritage is taken into account. Other national and international bodies are involved in this field, including European Commission (Horizon 2020 Programme, JPI Cultural Heritage), Council of Europe, UNESCO, ICOMOS…
The organisation in Ravello in 2017 of the 2nd International Workshop on “Resilience and Adaptation of Cultural Heritage to Climate Change” should be an opportunity to give the word to scientists, teachers, curators, conservators, restorers, politicians, decision-makers and stake-holders…for reviewing the current state of this urgent problematic and of this scarcely explored area of research (www.univeur.org ). |