Climate Change and Cultural Heritage: Methods and Approaches for Damage and Risk Assessment Addressed to a Practical Application

Abstract

In the last 20 years, research on the observed and projected impacts of climate change on cultural heritage has led to significant developments regarding damage quantification and risk assessment, which unfortunately are not yet exhaustively transferred to practical applications and to the sector of policy and decision making. One of the major reasons for this still lacking alignment remains with the inadequate handover of quantitative data, which is a prerequisite for the development of measures and strategies for the mitigation of the impacts and risk reduction. In this paper, we focus on the methods and approaches put in place for the production of projections providing quantitative assessments of climate change-induced impacts in the near and far future (up to the 21st century) on outdoor built heritage mainly constituted by stone and stone-like materials. Our critical study found that different approaches have been applied for quantifying slow cumulative damage due to the ongoing variations of climate and air pollution parameters and to risk assessment caused by hydrometeorological extreme events induced by variations of temperature and precipitation. There is clear evidence that efforts are still needed for directing research to provide concrete solutions and tools addressed to meet the requirements of stakeholders and to solve the existing challenges in the field: selected effective models and tools are illustrated. The discussion is structured in order to highlight the driving role of research in supporting the definition of priorities for heritage managers and the development of strategies by decision and policy makers for the prevention and safeguarding of cultural heritage at risk.

Climate Change and Cultural Heritage: A Global Mapping of the UNESCO Thematic Indicators in Conjunction with Advanced Technologies for Cultural Sustainability

“…Additionally, a quantitative assessment can be carried out to find out more about the weight of the mapping. Our study defined the priorities of heritage experts by safeguarding cultural heritage at risk of climate change at the policy level supporting the findings of Bonazza and Sardella [89], and practical implications can assist environmentalists in tackling specific environmental damages, like air pollution (Esteban-Cantillo, et al [90].…”

Hazard Analysis and Vulnerability Assessment of Cultural Landscapes Exposed to Climate Change-Related Extreme Events: A Case Study of Wachau (Austria)

“…First of all, among the climate variables and climate extreme standard indices available in the WGT, a selection of the most appropriate ones has been made for the purpose of our study. The climate extreme indices present in the WGT are defined by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection Indices (ETCCDI) [4,43,44]. Specifically, in the present study, the ones related to extreme precipitation and flooding events were utilized: R20mm (very heavy precipitation days), R95pTOT (precipitation due to extremely wet days), and R×5day (highest 5-day precipitation amount).…”

Safeguarding Our Heritage—The TRIQUETRA Project Approach

“…CH surfaces are damaged by natural corrosion due to their exposure to outdoor conditions [46,47]. Deterioration is caused by the combined and often synergistic action of many factors, such as air pollution, relative humidity (RH), temperature, acid rain, salt crystallization, ultraviolet radiation (UV), and the growth of microorganisms.…”