“Addressing the Climate crisis through Culture – Preserving Cultural Heritage. Supporting the Green Transition” is the title of the second of a series of international conferences commissioned by the Ministry of Culture to discuss the topics that will be at the center of the debate between experts, scholars, and cultural operators from all over the world during the next G20 Culture at the end of July.

The webinar on Monday 12 April 2021, focused on the effects of climate change on cultural heritage and the consequent safeguarding, conservation, and monitoring actions, presented culture as a key and indispensable factor for Governments in their next steps towards ecological transition and climate actions.

“Culture is […] a great engine for economic and sustainable growth, the one the world needs in the coming years”, highlighted Minister Dario Franceschini in a video message opening the meeting. The Undersecretary for Culture, Lucia Borgonzoni, stressed the importance of innovation and the contribution of new technologies to improve cultural heritage protection and promote new opportunities that identify culture as a driving force.

At the meeting, divided into four thematic sessions, the speakers presented and discussed the subject’s latest and most relevant research results.

The session “The Impact of Climate Change on Cultural Heritage and Cultural Diversity”, chaired by Mario Tozzi of the CNR Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering, focused on issues related to the analysis of the vulnerability of cultural heritage and on adaptation and mitigation measures of environmental risks.

“Strategies and Actions for Increased Resilience of Cultural Heritage”, the session moderated by Mechtild Rössler (Director of the World Heritage Center, UNESCO, and co-coordinator of the International Expert Group UNESCO-ICOMOS-IPCC), discussed how the resilience of cultural heritage in respect to climate change can be strengthened by recurring to eco-innovative solutions. The session also touched on topics related to the impact of climate change on intangible cultural heritage and the objects kept in museums, often little considered in the general debate on the subject.

The “Culture-Based Solutions Driving Climate Action” session, chaired by ICOMOS Climate Change Working Group coordinator Andrew Potts, looked at how cultural heritage can drive Climate Action and how culture-based strategies can contribute to achieving the Paris Agreement’s goals and lead to a climate-resilient future. Experts also discussed how the ecological transition can be made to appear “socially desirable”.

The session “Advanced technologies for the preservation of cultural heritage. Social and economic benefits”, moderated by Cristina Sabbioni of the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (CNR-ISAC), focused on the opportunities offered by innovation, intended not only as a technological implementation but also as research and practices of monitoring, conservation and planned preventive maintenance. The need to develop cultural management plans, tools for data acquisition, and strategies for long-term monitoring are just some of the main topics discussed by the speakers in the debate on technology and climate transition.

By discussing case studies from all parts of the world and drawing a map of common objectives for designing the cultural and climate policies of the G20 member countries aimed at achieving cultural and environmental sustainability, the need for coordinated action emerged globally.

The School of Cultural Heritage supports the Ministry of Culture in achieving the goals of the interinstitutional partnership “Culture and cultural heritage” of Agenda Urbana, bringing culture back into the reflection on the Green Deal.