Climate change is now widely accepted as being the biggest threat to historic buildings and landscapes; with changing weather patterns increasing the risk of heavy rain, increased temperatures, high winds, droughts, wild fires and shifting shores.  As a result, interventions may be required (when the impact of such hazards begin to cause harm or loss to the significance of such assets and places) such as building alterations and updated land management approaches to manage impacts such as material and biodiversity loss.

The National Trust (in collaboration with Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland, Cadw, Department for Communities, Northern Ireland, National Trust Scotland and English Heritage Trust) have developed climate change adaptation guidance to support its staff to deal with climate change adaptation in manageable pieces.  This guidance will contain useful and practical information around options, thresholds and methods for decision-making around climate adaptation pathways for many organisation types.

Imogen Wood, National Trust Heritage & Climate Consultant will provide an overview of the guidance and answer questions on how you might apply this decision-making process to your buildings, operations and/or land; and how to access specific guidance on a range of asset and activity types:

Sections on Water, Infrastructure, Archaeology&Landscape and Buildings have already been completed and will be released in November 2022, with further sections and chapters to be populated as we research and gain further understanding for different assets.

Other sections in development include:
People & Visitor Activity
Coast
Places
Utilities & Services Pantone
Nature
Finance, Risk & Insurance
Parks, Gardens & Trees
Collections & Internal Fabric
Procurement & Commercial
Farming

 

Each section of detailed guidance being provided includes:

-Background information
-Why it matters that we consider this asset/activity in the context of climate hazards
-Hazards, impacts and potential options
-Adaptation measures and potential thresholds for a change in approach
-Worked example of the range of adaptive pathways for that asset/activity
-Case studies and other useful information (signposting, references, etc.)
 

There will also be an opportunity to ask Imogen questions and to join in a group discussion; allowing you to share learning, progress, challenges and questions with other members across the network who are on the same journey.