Cultural heritage in the context of disasters and climate change: Insights from the DCMS-AHRC Cultural Heritage and Climate Change Cohort

In a collaboration between the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Urgency Grants invited proposals from researchers using innovative approaches to address the impacts of natural disasters and climate change on tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. How is climate change affecting cultural heritage, especially in the Global South? And how can cultural heritage be effectively mobilised to respond differently and more inclusively to the impacts of climate change and natural hazards? This report showcases the results of a series of workshops organised by the PRAXIS and CRITICAL research teams between February and September 2022 and project-specific policy briefs prepared by the nine projects of the Cultural Heritage and Climate Change Cohort. The report informs future research and policy on disaster preparedness, emergency response, loss and damage, mitigation and adaptation to current and expected global environmental changes. It provides lessons learnt from international collaborations between academics, practitioners and research participants and recommendations to research councils and policymakers in the UK and beyond.