Weather, heritage, and memory

Abstract

Sense of place and identity are related to the weather, and to memories and perceptions of what constitutes “normal” weather for a particular place. Weather is an important ingredient of cultural life; thus, long‐term changes to weather patterns can affect sense of place and sense of reality, although these changes will not be experienced uniformly. We argue that weather and climate should thus be considered forms of intangible cultural heritage, which we refer to as weather‐heritage. Drawing attention to place‐specific weather‐heritage that is threatened by climate change may increase support for mitigation and adaptation policies and encourage behavior change from individuals and governments. A heritage/memory lens can also draw attention to the ways in which lost weather‐heritage should be memorialized, ensuring that the right to memory of lost weather‐heritage is maintained. We therefore argue for a new research focus on weather‐heritage and memory, to understand how people remember and ascribe significance to particular weather types and patterns, and to document weather‐heritage that has been lost or is likely to be lost as climate changes. One purpose of this research should be to ensure that weather‐heritage is plural and does not become a majoritarian and exclusionary exercise in uncritical nostalgia.This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture > Ideas and Knowledge Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Perceptions of Climate Change Trans‐disciplinary Perspectives > Humanities and the Creative Arts