Climate change, heritage policy and practice in England: Risks and opportunities

Abstract

Our climate is changing. Although the implications for both the physical remains and the intangible nature of the historic environment have been widely examined, the impact upon the ways in which we, as practitioners, currently conserve heritage, and how and whether practice and policy should be reconsidered, has perhaps been less so. The physical remains of England’s past are protected via four mechanisms: designation, development management (planning), agri-environment schemes and ownership. Climate change will affect all of these, as well as present new challenges that may require novel approaches to heritage management. Building upon previous research undertaken by Historic England, the public body that looks after England’s heritage, this paper looks at how three of the main cross-cutting climate change issues (loss, maladaptation and resilience) could affect heritage protection in England.