Test Your Knowledge

By Alanna Casey and Julianne Fontana, NRF-US/ICOMOS Graduate Interns
9
Jan

Pop Quiz: Climate Impacts on Iconic Historic Sites

When you picture the effects of climate change, what comes to mind?  Is it the polar ice caps melting? Stronger storms? Debilitating drought and water bans?

… How about Ellis Island under water? Many irreplaceable cultural and historic sites are incredibly vulnerable to the full range of climate change impacts, and some are at risk of disappearing altogether.

With such precious resources at stake, leaders in heritage preservation are rising to the challenge of documenting, mobilizing, and generating awareness. The Union of Concerned Scientists thoroughly documented the mounting consequences of climate change on many of the country’s most iconic and historic sites in their robust report National Landmarks at Risk. The National Park Service has long identified climate change as “fundamentally the greatest threat to the integrity of our national parks,” and is leading the effort to develop resources to plan for, act on, and communicate about this threat.

Are any of your favorite places at risk? Do you know what’s already being done to protect them? Check out our new climate and cultural heritage quiz to learn more!