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Climate Change and the Historic Landscape: Confronting the Issues

Overview

Climate change is the major social, economic and environmental challenge of our time and an increasing number of heritage professionals already have to respond to its implications in their daily work. The debate on future approaches looks set to increase with publication of the new Planning Policy Statement on historic environment. This course provides a high-level overview of the implications of climate change for the heritage focussing particularly on archaeology and historic landscapes.

Description

Climate change is the major social, economic and environmental challenge of our time and an increasing number of heritage professionals already have to respond to its implications in their daily work. Predictions based on current trends suggest future climate change will result in catastrophic environmental, social and economic impacts if left unchecked.

What does this mean for the historic environment? Many aspects of our heritage are at risk from the direct impacts of climate change. At the same time, certain measures to adapt to and mitigate climate change are potentially harmful to the historic environment, leading some commentators and policy makers to regard the heritage as an impediment to effective action. Others believe that the archaeological and historical record provides evidence of past climate change and human adaptation that will be invaluable in understanding and responding to future changes.

This broad-based course is intended for heritage professionals with an interest in the implications of climate change for the historic environment and its long-term conservation. It examines the issues in terms of the countryside and urban green spaces, rather than the built environment, focussing on archaeology and historic landscapes in the context of the 2009 climate projections.

Audience
This course is aimed at historic environment and landscape professionals practicing in local authorities and government agencies, heritage and landscape consultants and postgraduate students in historic environment disciplines.

Programme details

Friday 15 January 2010

9.00 am Registration and coffee / tea

9.30 am Introduction
STEPHEN TROW

9.35 am Managing heritage in the global greenhouse: what do we need and where do we start?
STEPHEN TROW

10.30 am Coffee / tea

11.00 am Climate change and the coastal historic environment
PETER MURPHY

11.55 am Impacts of climate change on wetland historic environments
JEN HEATHCOTE

12.50 pm Discussion

1.00 pm Lunch

2.00 pm Climate change, archaeology and historic landscape character in protected landscapes and the uplands
KEN SMITH

2.55 pm Discussion

3.00 pm Tea / coffee

3.30 pm Redesigning designed landscapes? Issues ahead for the conservation of our park and garden heritage
JENIFER WHITE

4.25 pm Discussion

4.45 pm Course disperses

Staff

Course aims

The course aims to provide a broad overview of the implications of climate change on historic landscapes and archaeology in the context of the countryside and urban green spaces (rather than on the built environment which is considered to be well served elsewhere).

As there are no “correct” answers in terms of responding to the implications of climate change for the cultural heritage, the course objectives will be to provide participants with an understanding of the potential nature scale and pace of those impacts, illustrating currently perceived challenges with a range of case studies. Participants will be invited to discuss how to respond to uncertainty in future climate projections and to consider how these may translate into proposals for research.

Level and demands

Demand
An increasing number of heritage professionals, whether working at the strategic or practical level, are encountering the potential implications of climate change on their day-to-day activities. The implications of climate change are also being increasingly considered in various postgraduate branches of heritage teaching and research.

The debate looks set to intensify with the publication of a new Planning Policy Statement on the historic environment.

Recommended reading

Cassar, M. 2005: Climate Change and the Historic Environment, Research report, London, Centre for Sustainable Heritage, University College London, (www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainableheritage/climate change/climatechangeandthehistoricenvironment.pdf) ISBN 0-9544830-6-5

Casar, M. and Pender, R. 2005: The impact of climate change on cultural heritage:evidence and response, ICOM-CC 14th Triennial meeting, The Hague, eds I. Verger, London, James and James, pp. 610-616

DECC (The Department of Energy and Climate Change) 2009: The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan,
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/publications/lc_trans_plan/lc_trans_plan.aspx

English Heritage 2003: Coastal Defence and the Historic Environment: English Heritage Guidance, London, English Heritage, Product Code 50756

English Heritage 2004: Flooding and Historic Buildings: Technical Advice Note, London, English Heritage, Product Code 50776

English Heritage 2005: Wind Energy and the Historic Environment, London, English Heritage, October 2005, Product Code 51099

English Heritage 2006c: Biomass Energy and the Historic Environment, London, English Heritage, December 2006, Product Code: 51100

English Heritage 2008: Climate Change and the Historic Environment, London, English Heritage January 2008, Product Code: 51392.

English Heritage 2008. Conservation Bulletin 57: Adapting to a changing climate, Spring 2008 http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.13377

National Trust 2005: Shifting Shores: Living with a changing coastline, http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-shifting_shores.pdf

National Trust not dated: Forecast? – Changeable!
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-climate_change-forecast_changeable.pdf

UKCIP et al 2002: Gardening in the Global Greenhouse: The Impacts of Climate Change on Gardens in the UK, Oxford

World Heritage Centre 2006: Predicting and managing the effects of climate change
on world heritage: A joint report from the World Heritage Centre, its Advisory Bodies, and a broad group of experts to the 30th session of the World Heritage Committee, Vilnius


Web resources

UK Climate Impacts programme: http://www.ukcip.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=163

English Heritage http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/climatechange

Met Office Hadley Centre: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/hadleycentre/index.html

National Trust: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl/w-countryside_environment/w-climate_change.htm

Tomorrow’s climate: today’s challenge: http://www.climatechallenge.gov.uk

Teaching outcomes

Learning outcomes
As there are no “correct” answers in terms of responding to the implications of climate change for the cultural heritage, the course will aim to provide participants with an understanding of the potential nature scale and pace of those impacts, illustrating currently perceived challenges with a range of case studies.

Participants will be signposted to a range of further learning materials and will be invited to consider their responses to the case studies and to suggest how the pressures on the historic environment could be translated into policy, practice or research.

Accommodation

Accommodation is often available in Rewley House for those who wish to stay on the night before a course. Please contact our Residential Centre on 01865 270362 for details of availability and prices.

Refunds

Cancellations and Refunds
Fees will only be refunded in exceptional circumstances and the cost of any accommodation booked will be retained according to the following schedule:

• 4-6 weeks notice, 25% accommodation costs retained
• less than 4 weeks, 50% accommodation costs retained
• less than 7 days 75% accommodation costs retained

All refunds will be subject to an administration charge. Refund requests should be made, in writing, to the Manager of Public Programmes (address as below).

Fee options

Programme Fee

Tuition (includes Coffee/tea): £134.00

Catering

Lunch: £11.00

Programmes including this module

This module can be studied as part of these programmes:

• Short courses for the General Public