Climate Change and Cultural Heritage: Impacts and Management Strategies from a Comparative Perspective

Climate change poses a severe threat to the sustainability of global cultural heritage in the 21st century. This study adopts a comparative perspective, selecting three representative cases: Venice (coastal city), Egypt's Karak Oasis (arid region), and Peru's Machu Picchu (high-altitude site), to investigate the differential impacts of climate change on cultural heritage and comprehensive governance pathways. The findings reveal that heritage sites in different geographical environments face distinct climate threats: coastal areas are primarily affected by sea-level rise and salt erosion, arid regions are vulnerable to wind erosion and water scarcity, while high-altitude sites are endangered by rainfall-induced landslides and fluctuations in temperature and humidity. More importantly, these climate risks often interact with human activities such as tourism development and over-exploitation of resources, forming complex “compound risks” that significantly increase the vulnerability of heritage. The case comparisons confirm that standalone technical protection measures are often insufficient; effective management strategies must rely on the deep integration of engineering solutions, long-term monitoring, and community engagement, within an interdisciplinary governance framework. Through cross-case comparison, this study highlights the region-specific and complex nature of climate change impacts on cultural heritage, underscoring the necessity of integrating natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities perspectives. The research outcomes not only provide differentiated strategic references for protecting heritage across various environmental types but also offer a theoretical basis and practical insights for building more adaptive and sustainable global cultural heritage conservation frameworks.