Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta.
Special thanks to the head of department Dr Carmel Serracino.
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Lecture: Climate change and Cultural Heritage: connecting the past, present and future
15/02/2023 @ 6:00 PM
Lecture by Ms Sharon Sultana, Senior Curator, the National Museum of Archaeology, Malta.
Climate has always been one of the strongest forces on our planet. The past evolution of the earth has been very dynamic, with various climate modes, ice ages and interglacial periods, and has shaped the present natural and cultural environment. The emergence of Homo sapiens and the development of civilisation are inseparably entangled with the changing climate. Only in the recent past (the last 10 000 years) has humanity lived with a stable climate, which allowed humanity to develop an agricultural society, and to live together in communities with great monuments and buildings.
However, this stability is changing dramatically: the climate is again becoming unstable and changing at a greater speed, scale and intensity than anticipated by various climate models. This is considered a global existential threat to societies and our planet. How is this affecting our cultural heritage and can our cultural assets be used to spread the climate justice message through collections, buildings, and communities?
Photo: Acropolis under snowstorm 17 February 2021