Germany's cultural heritage in danger due to climate change - NGO
Clean Energy Wire
Climate change is increasingly becoming a danger for churches, historic buildings, parks and other cultural heritage sites, the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) has said. "A major risk in the future will be extreme weather conditions in particular," says DBU secretary general Alexander Bonde, referring to the floods that hit the West of the country earlier this year, which did not only cause many deaths but also damaged or even destroyed cultural sites. According to Bonde, precautionary measures, such as better early warning systems, risk analyses and the use of environmental and weather data, will play an increasingly important role. "Innovative conservation and protection concepts will be just as important as adaptation strategies to unstoppable climatic changes." The DBU is "advocating an expanded concept of sustainability": in addition to the triad of social, economic and ecological factors, the cultural dimension must also be kept in mind, the foundation writes.
The catastrophic floods hit several countries in western Europe in July this year. The disaster, which has been widely linked to climate change, killed over 180 people in Germany alone and caused billions of euros in damages.
