Weatherproofing the past protects legacy

Growing attention

Combating climate change is a major issue, Yan says. In recent years, scholars put cultural heritage protection at the forefront, stressing a pressing need for swift measures in safeguarding it.

In 2021, UNESCO, the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change jointly held the International Co-sponsored Meeting on Culture, Heritage and Climate Change, the first high-level global academic discussion on this theme.

During the event, Liu Hongtao from Southwest Jiaotong University shared China's dedication to the protection of World Heritage sites against climate change.

During the G20 side event, Yan introduced China's practices for managing cultural heritage sites in response to extreme weather.

He emphasizes that adaptation and mitigation are two vital concepts widely accepted by the international academic community.

"Adaptation means that when the trend of climate change is believed to be irreversible, we need to adjust and find new ways of living and existing. Mitigation, on the other hand, is a more long-term and idealistic approach, focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions or developing new technologies and energy sources to try to reverse the trend," says Yan.

During the event, Leandro Grass, president of Brazil's national historical and artistic heritage institute, opened discussions highlighting how climate change is being felt across the country.

"Brazil has much to offer in this discussion. Climate change needs to be properly addressed with public policies and concrete actions for life and sustainability," he says.