Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Agencies and organizations at the federal, tribal, state, and local level (and internationally) are issuing studies on climate impacts to historic properties and guidance on how to address such impacts. 

ACHP Climate Change and Historic Preservation Policy Statement - June 2023

Cultural Landscapes

• Climate Change and Cultural Landscapes

Decarbonization

• Building Decarbonization (General Services Administration) - This guide includes examples of historic building reuse as a strategy for embodied carbon reduction and minimization of operational carbon.
• Carbon Avoided Retrofit Estimator (CARE) Tool
• Cutting Carbon: Resources for Preservationists (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
• The Reuse Imperative (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
• Using the CARE Tool to Calculate Carbon Savings from Reuse webinar (National Trust for Historic Preservation) 
• Zero Net Carbon Collaboration for Existing and Historic Buildings

Disaster Planning

• Before and After Disasters: Guidance for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Leaders on Working with FEMA, NPS, and Other Federal Agencies
• CAMP Resilience and Disaster Planning (National Alliance of Preservation Commissions)
• Disaster Recovery (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
• Integrating Historic Property and Cultural Resource Considerations Into Hazard Mitigation Planning (Federal Emergency Management Agency)

Equity and Environmental Justice

• Preservationists and Climate Equity: A Resource List  (National Trust for Historic Preservation)

Federal Agency Activities

• Climate Change and Your National Parks (National Park Service)
• Coastal Adaptation Strategies Handbook  (National Park Service)
• Coastal Adaptation Strategies: Case Studies (National Park Service)
• Cultural Resources Climate Change Strategy (National Park Service)
• Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Guide for Cultural Resources and associated one-page fact sheet. (Department of Defense)
• Preserving Coastal Heritage: Summary Report (National Park Service)
• Safeguarding Our Cultural Past from Future Climate Change: Stories from Cape Lookout National Seashore  (U.S. Geological Survey)
• Safeguarding Our Cultural Past from Future Climate Change: Stories from Jamestown  (U.S. Geological Survey)
• Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Projections for the National Park Service (National Park Service)
• Webinar on Guide to Incorporating Climate Considerations into Integrated Cultural Resource Management Plans (Department of Defense)

General

• Climate and Culture (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
• Climate Change and Cultural Heritage Conservation: A Literature Review (Association for Preservation Technology)
• Climate Change is the National Parks' Biggest Challenge (Climate Central)
• Cultural Resources and Climate Change: Navigating a Precarious Future(Parks Stewardship Forum, 2022) and associated webinar (2023)
• Getting the Words Right: A Glossary of Climate Terms (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
• National Landmarks At Risk: How Rising Seas, Floods, and Wildfires Are Threatening the United States' Most Cherished Historic Sites (Union of Concerned Scientists)
• Resilience to Natural Hazards and Historic Buildings (National Park Service)
• Sustainability and Climate Action Issue Brief (Preservation Priorities Task Force)
• Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, Resilience & Historic Buildings (National Park Service)
• Understanding Climate Change (Webinar) (National Trust for Historic Preservation)

International

• Climate Heritage Network
• Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI)
• Future of Our Pasts: Engaging Cultural Heritage in Climate Action (ICOMOS)
• Global Research and Action Agenda on Culture, Heritage and Climate Change (International Co-Sponsored Meeting on Culture, Heritage, and Climate Change)
• Heritage and Carbon (Heritage England and National Trust)
• Heritage at Risk: Case Studies of Climate Change Impacts (Society for Historical Archaeology)
• Heritage, Climate Justice and Equity (ICOMOS)
• ICOMOS Work on Climate Change
• Impacts, Vulnerability, and Understanding Risks of Climate Change for Culture and Heritage (International Co-Sponsored Meeting on Culture, Heritage, and Climate Change)
• Intangible Cultural Heritage, Diverse Knowledge Systems and Climate Change (International Co-Sponsored Meeting on Culture, Heritage, and Climate Change)
• The Role of Cultural and Natural Heritage for Climate Action (International Co-Sponsored Meeting on Culture, Heritage, and Climate Change)
• World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate (Union of Concerned Scientists)

Sea Level Rise and Flooding

• Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings (National Park Service)
• Keeping History Above Water (Multi-organization initiative)
• Sea Change: Climate Change and Coastal National Parks (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
• Testing Traditional Materials for Flood Resilience (National Park Service and US Army Corps of Engineers)

State and Local Guidance and Resources

• How to Plan and Recover from the Damaging Effects of Wind and Water (Alabama)
• Disaster Mitigation for Historic Structures (Florida)
• Planning for the Unexpected: Disaster Preparedness Guidance for Historic Properties in Idaho
• Resilient Heritage: Protecting Your Historic Home from Natural Disasters (Louisiana)
• Weather It Together: Protecting Maryland's Historic Places from Natural Hazards
• Flood Mitigation Guide: Maryland's Historic Buildings
• Disaster Planning for Historic Buildings: Illustrated Guidelines (Minnesota)
• Protecting Our Historical and Cultural Assets Video Training Series (New Jersey)
• Flood Planning & Preparedness for New Jersey Historic Buildings Video Training Series (New Jersey)
• Protecting Historic Residences from Flooding – Building Elevations Video Training Series (New Jersey)
• Community Disaster Resilience Planning for Heritage Resources (Oregon)
• Preserving Cultural Resources While Fighting Fire (Oregon)
• Resilience Guidance for Charleston (South Carolina)
• How to Make a Case for Historic Preservation after a Disaster (Wisconsin)
• Before You Repair Flood Damage: Important Information for Historic Building Owners and Municipalities (Vermont)

Tribal and Indigenous Peoples

• Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report [see chapter 8 on cultural resources] (Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals)
• Webinar on Cultural Resources and Sacred Sites in Climate Planning and Response (ACHP and White House Council on Native American Affairs)

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