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 societal contributions it makes. 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 HELM 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.
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. 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 heritage implications of coastal and flood defence policy; advice on renewable 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.
English Heritage climate change publications
Over the coming months, further advice and links will be added on micro-renewable energy generation and the insurance of historic buildings. Please follow the links in the further reading section for:
- English Heritage 2002: Building Regulations and Historic Buildings
- English Heritage 2003: Coastal Defence and the Historic Environment: English Heritage Guidance
- English Heritage 2004: Flooding and Historic Buildings: Technical Advice Note
- English Heritage 2005: Wind Energy and the Historic Environment
- UCL Centre for Sustainable Heritage 2005: Climate Change and the Historic Environment
- English Heritage 2006: Shoreline Management Plan Review and the Historic Environment: English Heritage Guidance.
- English Heritage 2007: Biomass Energy and the Historic Environment
- English Heritage 2007: Micro wind generation and traditional buildings
- English Heritage 2007: Energy Conservation in Traditional Buildings
- English Heritage 2007: Cutting Down on Carbon - Improving the Energy Efficiency of Historic Buildings: Government Historic Estates Unit Annual Seminar
- English Heritage 2008: Climate Change and the Historic Environment
