Why heritage sites are at risk in a warming world — and how to save them

The Future of the Past: When Cultural Heritage Meets Climate Change Thijs Weststeijn Polity (2026) In 2019, unprecedented flooding in Venice submerged more than 80% of the historic city, prompting Italy to declare a state of emergency. That same year — and in 2025 — wildfires in California burned thousands of hectares of land. The flames came dangerously close to the Getty Villa, a museum in Los Angeles that houses one of the world’s most important collections of ancient Greek and Roman art. These incidents illustrate a troubling reality: cultural heritage sites, once seen as enduring fixtures of human achievement, are increasingly vulnerable to climate-driven disasters. The idea that humanity’s greatest accomplishments are now threatened by our own failures is a theme that runs through art historian Thijs Weststeijn’s latest book. The Future of the Past offers a timely and accessible introduction to the growing tension between heritage preservation and a rapidly changing climate. Sustainability or dystopia? What past patterns tell us about where society is heading Weststeijn lays out the scale of the challenge by examining cultural and historical sites around the world that are increasingly exposed to climate pressures, ranging from thawing permafrost to rising sea levels. One striking example is the Moai, the monumental stone figures of Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island), many of which stand along the coast and are threatened by erosion and encroaching waters. …