Climate Change

York City Flooded Climate change is one of the most important and urgent problems facing us today. Without action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts of a changing climate will have major adverse effects on society, the economy and the environment, including the historic environment.  These impacts will impair future generations’ enjoyment and understanding of their cultural heritage and limit the economic and social contributions it can make to society.  The wide-ranging actions required to limit further damaging emissions, combined with the need to adapt historic assets to make them more resilient to a changing climate, will also have significant implications for the historic environment and its future management. 

This section of the English Heritage website provides links to advice on climate change and the historic environment and on the implications of adaptive responses and mitigation, including policies on renewable and low carbon energy. 

St Breock Downs Monolith Current English Heritage thinking on climate change is set out in Climate Change and the Historic Environment published in January 2008, which updates and replaces our 2006 position paper, sets out our current thinking on the implications of climate change for the historic environment. This statement is intended both for the heritage sector and also for those involved in the wider scientific and technical aspects of climate change; in the development of strategies and plans relating to climate change impacts; or in projects relating to risk assessment, adaptation and mitigation. 

Alongside this high-level statement, English Heritage continues to publish and commission more detailed research and guidance relating to climate change and its implications for the historic environment.  These include guidance on improving energy efficiency in historic buildings (including the implications for the historic environment of building regulations on energy efficiency); the development of a website to provide guidance to help people understand the impact of climate change on older buildings and how they can be adapted safely and effectively; the heritage implications of coastal defence policy and flooding; advice on wind and biomass energy projects, and a scoping study on the implications of climate change in the UK and on World Heritage Sites, both commissioned from University College London.