When we talk about climate change, the debate usually centres on energy, biodiversity, carbon emissions or the economic costs of the transition. But another aspect of the problem remains largely underestimated: the impact of climate change on our cultural heritage.

43% of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe are currently highly exposed to extreme weather events, flooding and rising sea levels. Our research arrives at this estimate by applying the climate risk quantification methodologies developed at the EDHEC Climate Institute to relevant physical assets sourced from the UNESCO spatial database.

This vulnerability does not only affect a few iconic sites, such as Venice, or certain historic centres in the Mediterranean. It affects the whole of Europe’s cultural infrastructure, including less visible artefacts, which are often scattered among churches, libraries, local collections or small museums.

The risks are already very real. Artworks and museum collections are directly exposed to flooding, fluctuations in humidity, heatwaves and failures affecting conservation systems. A survey of American art museums reveals that 35% of directors report having already suffered climate-related damage, while 50% say they have put specific plans in place to address these risks. In France, the Louvre Museum has, in fact, begun transferring around 250,000 works to its Liévin Conservation Centre, in Pas-de-Calais, in order to protect the national collections from the risk of flooding.

There are many major threats:

increased humidity and the growth of mould affecting paintings and frescoes

the deterioration of materials due to temperature........

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