At HERITΛGE we are very proud to be a part of a new, UN-recognised campaign to accelerate climate change adaptation for cultural heritage sites and practices by 2030, Heritage Adapts! (HA!)
The HA! Initiative launches today as the first global campaign uniting the heritage sector behind a shared mission: to have at least 3,000 sites and practices pledge to take locally-led climate adaptation action by 2030.
The campaign is driven by a powerful coalition of leading partners, led by Preserving Legacies, that also includes HERITΛGE, the Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Research and Development (CIPRED), The Climate Heritage Network (CHN), the European Heritage Hub, the Intangible Cultural Heritage NGO Forum, International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Julie’s Bicycle, Shadhona, and the World Monuments Fund.
Recognised by UNFCCC, the UN’s climate agency, as a Plan to Accelerate Solutions advancing the Global Goal on Adaptation, Heritage Adapts! connects local action to global impact, strengthening community resilience worldwide.
A crisis threatening heritage, community resilience
Climate change is the fastest-growing threat to heritage globally. According to UNESCO, one in three natural heritage sites and one in six cultural heritage sites are under threat, as are 60% of World Heritage Forests and 66% of World Heritage Marine Sites. UNESCO’s newly published People and Nature in Unesco-Designated Sites report further found that across its sites, climate-related hazards have increased 40% in a decade, and more than one in four could hit potentially irreversible tipping points by 2050. But this data covers only a fraction of the world’s heritage; most sites, living practices, collections, and landscapes that communities value remain untracked by international frameworks. This gap is itself part of the problem. Compounded by heritage adaptation remaining largely absent from climate finance and policy, stewards on the frontlines are often left with limited funding and support. Yet heritage is not just a victim, it is part of the solution, a source of community resilience and time-tested solutions relevant today.
A collective campaign built for action
Heritage Adapts! — with its founding coalition of over 100 organisations and stewards across the Global North and South — aims to fill that gap and accelerate climate adaptation for all types of heritage.
“As the world hurtles toward 2°C of warming, we are in a race to help communities—and the culture and heritage that sustain them—adapt while there is still time. The UN’s new Global Goal on adapting cultural heritage can be transformative, but only if it fuels real support for every site and cultural practice. Around the world, partners are uniting to urgently seize this moment. That shared resolve is the driving force behind Heritage Adapts!” – Andrew Potts, Director of Policy, Preserving Legacies.
HERIΤΛGE is excited to be part of an initiative that aims to foster immediate action at the level of local communities and heritage managers.
“Across the world, we are already witnessing the impact of climate change on cultural heritage, from historic cities and archaeological sites to living traditions and community practices. At HERITΛGE, we work with heritage professionals and communities on the frontlines of these challenges, helping them build the skills, knowledge and networks needed to respond. We are honoured to be part of Heritage Adapts!, an initiative that has the potential to drive meaningful change where it matters most. By empowering those closest to heritage to lead adaptation efforts, we can strengthen both heritage resilience and community resilience for generations to come,” said HERITΛGE Director, Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis.
At the core of HA! is the collective pledge to take locally -ed adaptation action by 2030 and an online community of action platform to support those adapting. Built around a self-paced program through every stage of adaptation, it makes the process accessible no matter the starting point. A global peer network connects those on the frontlines, and downscaled climate data is available in downloadable regional packets, complemented by training so stewards can use it on their own terms and weave it with the knowledge their communities already hold. Developed directly with stewards, it is grounded in hands-on expertise and an inclusive, locally led, plural knowledge system approach to help ensure all voices are at the table and that solutions are targeted, sustainable, and locally appropriate.
Heritage stewards, organisations, and institutions are invited to take the pledge, join the community, and start adapting at act.heritageadapts.org.
