Ministers sign North-South Memorandum of Understanding on Climate Action and Cultural Heritage

Date published: 09 July 2021

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey MLA and Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cultural Heritage and Climate Action to support greater North-South co-operation in dealing with the impacts of climate change on built and archaeological heritage across the island.

Ministers sign North-South Memorandum of Understanding on Climate Action and Cultural Heritage
Ministers sign North-South Memorandum of Understanding on Climate Action and Cultural Heritage

Minister Hargey said:

“This is a great opportunity for my Department to co-operate with our colleagues regarding the challenges we face in relation to climate change and its implications for the historic environment.

“My Department records, protects, conserves and promotes our historic environment and has particular responsibility for our 190 state care monuments. This is an excellent opportunity to share knowledge and ensure as best we can that our precious heritage assets are protected for future generations. Climate change is an issue we should all take seriously and is one of the key themes in my Department’s five year strategy, a central element of Sustainability and Inclusive Growth.”

On behalf of the Heritage Division of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Minister Noonan said. “Across this island we are faced with the shared challenge of protecting our irreplaceable archaeological and architectural heritage from the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. This Memorandum of Understanding enables even stronger North South cooperation in order to protect this heritage and we look forward to even stronger collaboration with our friends and colleagues in Northern Ireland, sharing knowledge, experiences, data and best practice.”

Minister Noonan added:

“The publication of our Sectoral Adaptation Plan for Built and Archaeological Heritage has been a critical step by my department in leading what must be a joined up team effort to address the impacts of climate change. I am very grateful to Minister Hargey for the strengthened engagement of colleagues from her department working side by side with us as we help each other to shoulder the burden and address the crisis that our heritage faces."

Heritage across the island is exposed to more intense storms, coastal erosion and sea-level rise along Atlantic coastlines, while northern climates experience increased precipitation in winter and increased risk of drought in summer. The MOU acknowledges that resilience of cultural heritage assets needs to be increased so as to reduce their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.

Both the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Assembly have declared a climate emergency and recognise the central role that cultural heritage can play in driving climate action and in supporting communities to make a just transition towards climate resilience.

Integral to informing the MoU are many cultural heritage characteristics within the landscape and seascape that have transboundary qualities and relationships which add to their understanding. This includes the presence of shared transboundary heritage assets such as historic routeways, earthworks, waterways and sea loughs such as Lough Foyle and Carlingford Lough as well as a common evolution of post-medieval built heritage and historic settlement patterns across the island.

Notes to editors: 

1. Caption: Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey MLA and Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD are pictured signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Heritage and Climate Action.

2. The objective of the Memorandum of Understanding is to share knowledge, experiences, data and best practices relevant to the intersection of cultural heritage and climate action.

It is intended to cooperate on the following priority areas:

  • Ensuring that cultural heritage is a factor in climate action ambitions;
  • Understanding the challenges associated with the stewardship of cultural heritage sites subject to a changing environment;
  • Best practices, regulatory approaches and scientific models with regard to protection of the environment, including, but not limited to, the effects of sea level rise, coastal erosion and increased precipitation on structures and sites, climate vulnerability assessments, reduction of carbon-dioxide emissions from heritage buildings and sites, the use of traditional environmental knowledge and practices to further outcomes and the engagement of communities in climate action;
  • Sharing data and information on mitigation measures implemented;
  • Collaborating on research work in support of shared conservation objectives including the preparation of joint applications to international funding programmes for transboundary projects;
  • Knowledge sharing on a wide range of cultural heritage issues including conservation efforts for historic buildings, building resilient communities, the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on historic landscapes, and the benefits of collaborative efforts;
  • Educational, training and knowledge exchange opportunities for partners and stakeholders including secondments, exchanges and other activities to encourage ongoing continuing professional development of conservation staff.

3. The Department for Communities, (DfC) is a devolved government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The Historic Environment Division sits within DfC and records, protects, conserves and promotes Northern Ireland’s historic environment with responsibility for 190 monuments in state care.

4. The National Monuments Service and Built Heritage Policy are part of the Heritage Division within Ireland’s Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage.

5. A Built and Archaeological Heritage Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan published in 2019 as part of the National Adaptation Framework aims to address impacts of climate change on Ireland’s heritage.

6. The Heritage Division is responsible for the development of guidance on energy retrofitting for historic and traditionally built buildings as an action of the Climate Action Plan 2019.

7. Media enquiries relating to DfC via DfC Press Office

8. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The Duty Press Officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

9. Follow the Department on Twitter @CommunitiesNI

10. Media enquiries relating to DHGH via DHGH Press Office. Tel: (01) 888 2638 (direct). Email: press@housing.gov.ie. Website: gov.ie/housing. Twitter: @DeptHousingIRL

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