Heritage belongs in every climate conversation: INTO at COP30

As the world turns its attention to COP30 in Brazil, INTO is urging global leaders to recognise a vital truth: heritage is not just at risk from climate change – it is part of the solution.

Research from Climate X, spotlighted in The Art Newspaper, revealed the fifty UNESCO World Heritage sites most threatened by climate change. This alarming data underscores the urgency of INTO’s work through the Withstanding Change project, supported by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund. But INTO’s message goes beyond preservation – it’s about reframing heritage as a powerful tool for climate resilience, education and action.

When climate shocks hit, it’s not just buildings or landscapes that are lost – it’s the skills, traditions and stories that tie people to place. Yet too often, cultural heritage is left out of climate adaptation plans. This omission is especially damaging for marginalised communities, where the loss of heritage can mean the loss of identity, continuity and resilience.

Withstanding Change is working to change that. By twinning heritage organisations in Egypt, Ethiopia, Zanzibar, Uganda and Jordan with the National Trust in England and Wales, INTO is fostering mutual learning and practical action. These partnerships are helping sites adapt to climate threats – from flooding and drought to coastal erosion – while also using heritage as a platform for community engagement and climate education.

Cultural heritage offers a uniquely human lens through which to understand and respond to climate change. It can make the abstract tangible, especially for young people. In Jordan, the Petra National Trust has developed one of the region’s first state-recognised curricula combining heritage and climate education – a model now being shared internationally.

As Charlotte Thomas, Programme Manager for Withstanding Change, puts it:

‘The heritage spaces revitalised by Withstanding Change are now used as sites for learning about climate change and inspiring action. After protecting a historic site from flooding, training people in traditional skills that support sustainable livelihoods, or adapting heritage places to cope with a hotter, wetter or drier future, these spaces are vital for the community to connect and to embed climate conversations.’

This approach is already bearing fruit. In Tanzania, the Zanzibar Stone Town Heritage Society is addressing challenges of coastal erosion while connecting the community to climate through cultural heritage. In Ethiopia, climate-smart nurseries are preserving native plant species. And across all sites, community-led solutions are sparking ideas that can be applied globally.

A moment of opportunity at COP30

At the UN’s June Climate Week in Bonn, heritage wasn’t a headline – but it’s starting to show up more often in global climate conversations. At COP30, INTO sees a critical opportunity to ensure that cultural heritage is recognised not just as something to protect, but as a strategic asset in climate adaptation and resilience.

The decisions made in the coming weeks could open new pathways for heritage organisations to access climate finance, influence policy and scale up their impact. INTO is committed to amplifying the voices of its partners, sharing lessons from the ground, and making the case that heritage and climate action are inseparable.

At COP30, the Presidential Action Agenda is spotlighting this truth through a dedicated event:

‘Cultural power for climate action: the role of popular culture, the creative industries, and heritage’

Organized by ECCA (Entertainment & Culture for Climate Action), Creatives for Climate, and INTO, this session explores how storytelling, creative industries, and heritage can inspire climate solutions and mobilize global action.

HRH Princess Dana Firas will showcase the Withstanding Change project, demonstrating how heritage spaces foster climate awareness and locally grounded adaptation.

11 November: Presidential Action Agenda event ‘Cultural Power for Climate Action: The Role of Popular Culture, the Creative Industries, and Heritage’, in partnership with Creatives for Climate and ECCA (Entertainment & Culture for Climate Action)

20 November: Side event with the British Council – Culture at the Heart of Climate Policy and Action: A Collective Effort (‘Mutirão’)

17–20 November: Exhibition in the Green Zone in partnership with the British Council

Throughout COP30: INTO representatives from Uganda, Aruba and the Cayman Islands reporting live and amplifying heritage-climate voices

Online: Join us in the ‘We Make Tomorrow’ global call to action for heritage and climate

INTO – 10 years at COP

For the past decade, INTO has proudly championed the voice of heritage at the world’s most critical climate negotiations. We’ve worked hard to show that cultural and natural heritage are not just victims of climate change but vital solutions for resilience and adaptation.

Through advocacy, knowledge-sharing and partnerships, INTO has amplified the concerns of small islands, advanced nature-based solutions and mobilised its global network to influence policy and practice. Our campaigns – from peatland protection to climate-resilient heritage – have demonstrated that safeguarding heritage is inseparable from safeguarding our planet.

Ten years on, INTO stands as a trusted advocate, proving that collaboration across borders can turn ambition into action for climate, nature and heritage.