Climate Change Impacts on Cultural Heritage: Open Challenges and Lessons Learned

Climate change poses an urgent and complex threat to cultural heritage buildings worldwide. This review paper, produced by the ISCARSAH’s “Climate Adaptation” working group, provides examples of the impacts of various climate-induced hazards—such as rising temperatures, increased precipitation, floods, strong winds, droughts/wildfires, and landslides—on historical sites. It highlights significant challenges, including gaps in policies and the inadequacy of current building codes and design standards, which fail to address the unique needs of heritage structures. The paper points to the lack of context-specific guidelines tailored to the specific needs of heritage sites. It also underscores the importance of understanding climate change’s long-term impacts on cultural heritage and involving local communities in risk prevention and mitigation. Furthermore, the paper stresses the crucial need for interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of solutions that reconcile historical preservation with climate resilience. Key recommendations emphasize enhancing research to create effective risk assessment tools and multi-criteria frameworks that support informed intervention and decision-making processes. These strategies should focus on integrated, system-level, site-specific approaches that address both the immediate and long-term effects of climate change while promoting preventive conservation and sustainable development for the lasting resilience of heritage sites.