Climate Change and Archeological sites: the portuguese point of view

Abstract

Climate change is a global problem that requires a concerted response from the international community and appropriate action at the local level, as discussed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP28 - held in the United Arab Emirates at the end of 2023, or integrated into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG) adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. Due to its geographical location, Portugal is one of the European countries most vulnerable to climate change, the effects of which are being felt in the increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, heat waves, floods and storms. Official data from the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere) show that there is growing concern about the increasing frequency of meteorological droughts in recent years, some of which have lasted for more than one wet period (autumn and winter) and one dry period (spring and summer) and have affected an increasing percentage of the territory. The 2016/2017 meteorological drought stands out for its severity, an event that worsened significantly at the beginning of autumn (on 31 October, 25% of the territory was in severe drought and 75% in extreme drought), in an unusual way and with damaging consequences for the territory. In this context, we propose to take stock of the impact of climate change on Portugal’s archaeological heritage, which, as a component of the human environment, is competing for space with, for example, agriculture, forestry and the facilities needed to produce renewable energy. These components are undergoing profound changes due to water scarcity, increased fires, increased afforestation and deforestation, and the urgent need to overcome the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.