Image: Philip Buckland
Research project Climate change is negatively impacting cultural heritage, and it will continue to do so in the future. We need to understand the details of this increasingly acute situation in order to sustainably manage our heritage. Predicting and adapting to future situations is essential for ensuring future generations will have access to the cultural heritage.
We have been tasked by the Swedish National Heritage Board with providing an overview on the topic of Climate Change and Cultural Heritage for the Swedish Heritage Board with the aim of developing strategies for research over the next 10 years. In developing a future framework for research on climate change and cultural heritage, we aim to explore a wide range of academic fields to identify needs, priorities, and potential actions relevant to our work.
The Swedish National Heritage Board
Marcia Rockman, marcy.rockman@lnu.se
Markus Fjellström, markus.fjellstrom@arklab.su.se
Hans Antonson, hans.antonson@lundsbol.se
The impacts of climate change on cultural heritage are both evident and extensive. Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, and increasingly frequent extreme weather events pose significant risks to cultural environments worldwide. Archaeology and Quaternary geology provide considerable amounts of data which have helped our understanding of how climate has, and thus, can change, as well as influence landscapes and people. Changes that have been or can be directly or indirectly induced by Anthropocene activities. In Sweden, the National Heritage Board has identified several critical consequences of climate change impacting cultural heritage. For instance, rising sea levels threaten coastal cultural landscapes and archaeological sites; more recurrent temperature variations around the freezing point increase frost damage and salt crystallization in building materials; periods of heat and drought heighten the risk of wildfires; and extreme rainfall contributes to erosion and landslides affecting valuable heritage sites. A warmer and more humid climate also increases moisture damage, biological decay, and pest infestations in collections, archives, and historic buildings. Added to this are the direct human impacts on the landscape, such as hydroelectric power dams and wind parks that contribute to social and cultural degradation of cultural heritage.
Also, in northern Fennoscandia and Sápmi, rapidly melting glaciers and perennial snow patches expose organic materials from prehistoric and historical contexts at an accelerating pace. Once uncovered, these finds deteriorate quickly and require immediate intervention. Additionally, large volumes of melt-water reshape the landscape, revealing some heritage sites while eroding and destroying others. Restoration measures aimed at improving biodiversity may also unintentionally damage archaeological and cultural values.
There are many more factors involve, and this project will collate and review the current state of knowledge on climate change and cultural heritage, with a focus on Sweden, but including a global perspective. The project is part of The Swedish National Heritage Board's (RAÄ) 12 million kronor knowledge overview project which will guide the next 10 years of cultural heritage research in Sweden. Read more on the RAÄ website: https://www.raa.se/nyheter/2026/01/forskning-for-framtiden-far-12-miljoner-kronor/
