Lethal Heating: 10/17/18

17/10/2018

Cultural Heritage Has A Lot To Teach Us About Climate Change

The Conversation - Cathy Daly | Jane Downes | William Megarry

Ahu on Easter Island. Bryan Busovicki/Shutterstock.com

Museums, archaeological sites and historical buildings are rarely included in conversations about climate change, which tend to focus on the wider impact and global threats to our contemporary world. Yet these threats impact everything, from local cultural practices to iconic sites of outstanding universal value. In light of this, it’s worth exploring the relationship between our heritage and the changing global climate in more detail.
More powerful storms, flooding, desertification and even the melting of permafrost are already destroying important sites at an alarming rate. While we race to preserve or record these places before they are lost forever, it is also the case that some sites – especially those that are or have been highly adaptable and flexible – can also be assets in understanding adaptation strategies more generally.
These questions are currently being explored by an expert working group, which we are part of. Our aim is to unpack the intersection between our changing climate and the world’s cultural heritage, specifically world heritage sites. Building on the Paris Agreement, which notes the importance of traditional and indigenous knowledge when thinking about adaptation strategies, we are exploring how global heritage can be used not only to stress urgency about the dangers and risks of climate change, but also as an asset to enforce community resilience and develop adaptation strategies for the future.

Melting permafrost
Take Russia’s Treasures of the Pazyryk Culture. Located in the Altai mountains, this landscape of burial mounds (kurgans) and rock carvings derive from the Scythian nomadic culture of 2,500 years ago. A few of the two- to four-metre tall stone mounds have been excavated in the past. They reveal an incredible array of artefacts, complex funerary practices, and (most famously) tattooed individuals – all preserved due to the sub-zero conditions.

Pazyryk male mummy with preserved hair and shoulder tattoos. © V L Molodin

The melting of permafrost due to rising temperatures is expected to significantly impact frozen tombs at the site by the middle of this century. The chemical and biological deterioration of the organic and inorganic contents, previously inhibited by the freezing conditions, is likely to accelerate rapidly, while associated ground movement could cause structural damage to the tombs themselves.
The threat to these tombs from rising temperatures has been met with efforts to survey and protect them. While many indigenous people and heritage conservators aim to preserve the burials without disturbing them, it is not yet clear if this can be achieved.

Archaeological excavations on the site of ancient Scythian burials of Pazyryk culture in the Altai mountains, Siberia, Russia. Alexander Demyanov/Shutterstock.com

Rising waters
Elsewhere, rising sea waters and erosion are having a similarly disastrous impact. The Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania, for example, are at considerable risk from the impact of increased surf, exacerbated by the loss of mangrove forestry on the island.
This site was founded in the ninth century and became a major trading centre by the 13th century. It was inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1981 as an exceptional testimony to the expansion of Swahili coastal culture, and to the spread of Islam in Africa in this period. Ongoing efforts are being made here to strengthen the sea wall protecting the site, and to encourage alternate land use strategies to increase natural protection. The area’s iconic heritage is helping to deliver important messages concerning climate change.

Kilwa Kisiwani Fort. Gustavgraves/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

In Easter Island, meanwhile, rising sea levels and increasing storm surges are eroding the platforms (ahu) upon which famous statues (moai) are stood. Almost all of these statues are on the coast. It is very clear that climate change is having an adverse and worsening impact on these sites. This damage will destroy parts of the archaeological resource, including subsurface archaeological deposits that are particularly under-researched. The loss of these statues could have a significant negative impact on the tourism economy of Easter Island, affecting the livelihoods and resilience of the islanders.

Lessons from heritage
But we can learn a lot from some communities’ response to threat at such sites in the study of climate change resilience. While increased flooding and extreme weather conditions represent a considerable challenge globally, coastal and river communities have been living with (and adapting to) similar events for centuries.
A good example of this localised adaptation can be found on the river island of Majuli in the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India. Majuli is a landscape of both natural and cultural significance. The island is also home to over 30 ancient monasteries, known as sattras, which are repositories of both tangible and intangible culture.

Image of an example of a stilted building constructed using local materials on Majuli Island, Assam.
Photo: Hidden Landscapes of Majuli Project 2018

Here, annual flooding has led to significant erosion of the river and the displacement of communities, many of which live outside of the protective levees constructed in recent years. Over hundreds of years, communities on Majuli have developed modular and portable building techniques using local materials including building on stilts. The river and its annual flooding have become part of the everyday experience of living on Majuli and is a part of the local worldview.
More permanent structures of the sattras are not immune to the impacts of the river and some have been moved up to five times over the last 300 years. These places and their associated cultural heritage have evolved to be portable, a valuable skill in a landscape which changes regularly.
It should be stressed that, even with these adaptations, the current pace of climate change is unprecedented and its impact on river and coastal communities will be disastrous. Yet, by better understanding places like Majuli, we will learn much about resilience and adaptation to the inevitable impacts of climate change.

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States And Territories Lead Way On Renewables, Climate

RenewEconomy - Greg Bourne | Petra Stock

We Aussies love our sport. And with our boundless sunny plains and breezy hills, making us one of the sunniest and windiest places in the world; we love our renewables, too. So, why not combine the two in a bit of cheeky competition?
The Climate Council has released its fourth scorecard that measures state and territory progress on renewable energy.
States and territories are judged on a range of criteria, such as how much renewable energy they generate, the proportion of houses with solar, whether they have renewable energy targets, or plans to reduce greenhouse gas pollution.
Federal climate and energy policy has made so many false starts this year that it’s out of the race altogether.
Instead, it’s Australia’s states and territories who have seized the baton and taken the lead in the national renewables relay.

Our new report provides a snapshot of renewables action happening all across Australia’s states and territories, in spite of current federal inaction:

The renewable energy boom is accelerating in Australia, and across the world. State and territory governments are leading Australia’s electricity transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and storage.
Powering Progress: States Renewable Energy Race rates states and territories based on their performance across a range of metrics. These include each state’s percentage of renewable electricity, the proportion of households with solar and policies that support renewable energy.

A whopping 69 wind and solar plants are under construction in Australia right now, creating almost 10,000 jobs in the renewable energy industry. All up, this will add almost seven times more energy capacity than the now closed Hazelwood coal power station.
Not counting Western Australia, all states and territories have now committed to renewable energy and/or net zero emissions targets.
And in Queensland, the aptly named ‘sunshine state’, 33% of all households have rooftop solar, closely followed by South Australia, at 32%. SA is also on track for 73% renewable energy in just two short years.

Federally, Australia still isn’t doing enough when it comes to tackling greenhouse gas pollution.Based on our current track record, it doesn’t even look like we’ll meet our woefully low emissions reduction target of 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2030.
And as the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report has warned us, we need a tremendous global effort to keep temperature rise below 1.5˚C, wind back worsening extreme weather events aggravated by climate change, and protect lives and livelihoods now, and tomorrow.
Which is why we have to keep our eyes on the prize. Focus on the victories to be had. And never settle for second best.
Here are a few more stats from the report:

Tasmania, ACT and SA are equal winners of this year’s renewables race, across a range of renewable energy measures – based on each state’s proportion of renewable energy, wind and solar capacity per capita, proportion of households with solar, and renewable energy targets and policies.
Western Australia, the Northern Territory and New South Wales are lagging behind the other states and territories.
Western Australia’s share of renewable energy is low, however the state has the third highest proportion of households with rooftop solar.
The Northern Territory has a low share of renewable electricity and solar households, but is set to implement its plan to reach 50% renewable energy by 2030.
New South Wales does not have a renewable energy target and has no plan to replace its ageing and unreliable coal power stations.
With the exception of Western Australia, all states and territories have committed to renewable energy targets and/or net zero emissions targets.
South Australia continues to have the largest amount of installed wind and solar capacity (1,831MW), closely followed by New South Wales (1,759MW) and Victoria (1,634MW). On a per capita basis, South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania are the leaders.
Queensland and South Australia have the highest proportion of households with rooftop solar, at 32.9% and 32.3% respectively. Western Australia is in third place with 26.7% of households with rooftop solar.
Queensland has more renewable energy projects under construction than any other state.
Almost 10,000 jobs are being created in the renewable energy industry across Australia with 69 wind and solar plants under construction. Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales are home to the vast majority of these projects.
South Australia has at least eight new projects under construction and is on track for 73% renewable electricity in just two years.
More solar PV capacity was added around the world than coal, gas and nuclear combined. Almost three-quarters of new energy generation capacity added globally was renewable in 2017.
Electricity generation from coal and gas fell for the fifth consecutive year.
Approximately 17 countries generated more than 90% of their electricity with renewable energy in 2017. Australia was not one of them.

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Leaders Move Past Trump To Protect World From Climate Change

The Guardian - Damian Carrington

Far more must be invested in adapting to warming, says new global commission that aims to rebuild political will after US withdrawal from Paris agreement

Bill Gates and former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon (right) are among the leaders of the new Global Commission on Adaptation. Photograph: Evan Schneider/UN Photo

Far too little is being done to protect people from the heatwaves, storms and floods being supercharged by climate change, according to a high-level international commission. It aims to rebuild the political will to act that was damaged when US president, Donald Trump, rejected the global Paris agreement.
The Global Commission on Adaptation is being led by Ban Ki-Moon, Bill Gates and Kristalina Georgieva, CEO of the World Bank. It involves 17 countries including China, India, South Africa, Indonesia, Canada and the UK.
Much more money is being invested in cutting carbon emissions than preparing for the climate change impacts that are already inevitable. More than $380bn (£287bn) was spent on reducing CO2 in 2015-16, compared with just $20bn boosting protection from extreme weather.
Former UN secretary general Ban said a step change in adaptation can and must be achieved: “Climate change is happening much, much faster than one may think. [But] where there is political will, anything can be done.”
However, he said the international consensus to fight global warming had been damaged by Trump’s actions. On Sunday, Trump questioned whether global warming was caused by human activities, contradicting the long-established conclusions of the world’s scientists.
“We were very much united until December 2015 in Paris,” Ban told the Guardian. “Now unfortunately the level of solidarity is being loosened, especially by the Trump administration. Even though it is just one country, it has caused big political damage.”
Adaptation measures to safeguard people’s homes, food, water and energy are being implemented in some places, but at far too small a scale, the commissioners said.
“Continued economic growth and reductions in global poverty are possible despite these daunting challenges – but only if societies invest much more in adaptation,” said Ban. “The costs of adapting are less than the cost of doing business as usual and the benefits are many times larger.”
“We are at a moment of high risk and great promise,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “If everyone does their part, we can reduce carbon emissions, increase access to affordable energy, and help farmers everywhere grow more productive crops.”
“Our climate has already changed. Dramatic weather events and volatile seasons are the new normal,” said Georgieva. “We face a choice: business as usual and hope for the best. Or we act now and build for a resilient future.”
The new group is comprised of 28 commissioners, including two national presidents, representing all regions of the globe and all sectors of development and industry. The US administration is not represented but Francis Suarez, the mayor of Miami, is a commissioner.
The commission will produce a major report on adapting to climate change for the UN climate summit in September 2019, followed by a year of action to implement its recommendations.
“Scientists and economists believe the cost of adaptation could rise to $500bn per year by 2050 and, in the mid-term, $300bn by 2030,” said Ban. This money is available, he said: “I don’t think it is a matter of [getting the] money. The money can be mobilised. If there is political will, I think we can handle this matter.”
In particular, the trillions of dollars held by investment managers and insurers should be put to work, Ban said: “We should not expect all this money to come from governments. The private sector has to be fully engaged.” He said 63% of the $380bn invested in cutting emissions in 2015-16 was from the private sector.

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We’re Covering Heritage Sites Threatened By Climate Change. The List Just Got Longer.

New York Times - Kendra Pierre-Louis

LEFT: Cedars grow sparsely in the mountains near Jaj, Lebanon. RIGHT: Children swim by moai statues off the coast of Easter Island. Photos Josh Haner/The New York Times

One of the cruelties of global warming is that it threatens humanity’s past as well as its future.
That was brought into sharp focus by a study issued Tuesday. It says that some of the most important ancient sites in the Mediterranean region — the Greek city of Ephesus, Istanbul’s historic districts, Venice’s canals — might not survive the era of climate change.
Those places joined a list of others that we’ve covered extensively here at The Times. Our series on cultural heritage has looked at the Cedars of Lebanon, the Stone Age villages of Scotland and the statues of Easter Island, all of which are threatened by climate change.

Easter Island Is Eroding

Rising ocean levels are causing waves to break on the statues and platforms built a thousand years ago.

The island risks losing its cultural heritage. Again.

March 14, 2018

In the case of Scotland and Easter Island, the menace is from rising seas. Many civilizations of the past, much like many present-day cities, were centered on coastal areas. As sea levels rise — both because warmer water takes up more space than cooler water, and because of melting glaciers — these heritage sites face sharply increased risks from both coastal erosion and flooding.The new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, analyzed 49 Unesco heritage sites in the Mediterranean region in terms of end-of-century sea level rise projections that assume we don’t mitigate climate change.

Saving Scotland’s Heritage From the Rising Seas
Citizens and scientists on the Orkney Islands are racing to protect
thousands of ancient structures threatened by climate change.
Sept. 25, 2018

In Lebanon, the danger is shrinking habitat. The conditions the cedar trees need to live are becoming more and more rare as the Middle East heats up.

Climate Change Is Killing the Cedars of Lebanon
Global warming could wipe out most of the country’s
remaining cedar forests by the end of the century.
July 18, 2018

The researchers concluded that of the 49 sites, 46 will be threatened by coastal erosion and 40 by flooding if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
If you haven’t seen our heritage series, or if you missed an article, this might be the occasion for a virtual journey to Lebanon, the Orkney Islands, or Easter Island. The images are stunning and the stories are gripping.

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