Understanding and assessing climate change risk to cultural heritage: The Climate Vulnerability Index applied to the Caribbean forts
Organizer: CVI, James Cook University, ICOMOS, INES Ingenieros, WeArchitects, Moun Studi
| Introduction to the Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) methodology and how its application can help identify and determine the most appropriate mitigation measures to be integrated into cultural heritage rehabilitation projects in the Caribbean. Two case studies will be used as example to show the outcome of the CVI application, mainly seeking that the final rehabilitation design ensures the cultural heritage asset resilience to the climate actions which will need to face. The case studies target the rehabilitation of Fortifications built in the 17th and 18th century in the islands of Haiti and Grenada, which current state of conservation shows damages due to a lack of resilience mainly to hurricanes but also to seismic events. The CVI is a rapid assessment tool that has been specifically developed for application to World Heritage properties. The CVI framework builds upon the vulnerability framework approach described in the 4th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Vulnerability of OUV (Outstanding Universal Value) is determined by assessing the exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity with respect to determined climate drivers. The OUV Vulnerability becomes the exposure term to assess the vulnerability of the community associated with the property, combining with assessments of economic-social¬cultural dependency (sensitivity) and adaptive capacity. While the case studies will show how can designers can take advantage of this assessment methodology, the CVI creators will sum up with which is the added value and potential of using this assessment tool for the stakeholders. |
Speakers:
Scott Heron, Associate Professor in Physics at James Cook University, Australia
Patxi Gastaminza, We Architects Director
David López, Disaster Risk and Structural Engineer specialist
Jon Day, CVI co-founder / Conservator / Post career PhD
Bárbara Mínguez, World Bank Disaster Risk Management and Cultural Heritage Consultant