White Paper
Authors: Anastasiou A., Charalampopoulou V., Istrati D., Verykokou S., Ioannidis C., Lückerath D., Salpina D., Casartelli V. M., Egusquiza A., Michalis P., Amditis A., Torok F. D., Drešković N.
Cultural Heritage (CH) across Europe is increasingly at risk due to the multifaceted impacts of Climate Change (CC), including sea level rise, flooding, extreme temperatures, and growing pressures from tourism. These challenges threaten not only cultural and natural landscapes but also the communities connected to them. To safeguard our heritage for future generations, it is vital that protection and management measures are recognised within various funding streams and supported by the development and implementation of advanced, adapted technologies. Furthermore, societal engagement is crucial to ensure that local needs are addressed alongside expert perspectives. Achieving more sustainable and transferable outcomes requires continuity beyond the typical lifespan of EU-funded projects. Investing in cultural heritage not only preserves identity and supports local economies but also strengthens climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and even security and defence by ensuring that heritage sites, essential societal assets, remain resilient and continue to play a pivotal role in community cohesion and regional stability.
The Green Cluster on Cultural Heritage -a collaborative initiative linking EU-funded projects under the topic “Effects of climate change and natural hazards on cultural heritage and remediation” such as TRIQUETRA, THETIDA, RescueME, and STECCI -was established in early 2023 as a means to address these issues.
The leadership of the Green CH Cluster was initiated by EC during 2023 with the ‘’Climate Effects’’ Team, composed of four EU projects (THETIDA, RescueME, TRIQUERTA, STECCI), which has an overarching aim to address the urgent need to protect monuments, historic buildings, and sites from the diverse impacts of climatic risks, natural and anthropogenic hazards1. THETIDA project initially led the cluster for the period of September 2023 to September 2024 which involved a dedicated session and Green CH Cluster meeting on CH at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2024. TRIQUETRA consortium took over the lead for 2024–2025, continuing the EGU session and organising the authoring of the White Paper to shape the strategic direction of the Green Cluster on Cultural Heritage. For 2025–2026, the leadership is transitioning to RescueME project with the continuation of the EGU session and a Green CH Cluster meeting in May 2026 to share final outcomes of projects.
Through this White Paper, the Green CH Cluster aims to establish cultural heritage as a central component of climate resilience strategies in Europe, by providing insights for technology integration, novel methodologies, and policy recommendations.
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