Climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and policies for cultural heritage in Egypt

Abstract EN

Egypt is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Egypt´s Nile Delta is one of the world's three “extreme” vulnerability hotspots, and future projections indicate that Egypt will suffer from the following climate change impacts: sea level rise; water scarcity and deficit; and an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heat waves, flash floods, heavy rains, sand and dust storms.

This will lead to major impacts on infrastructure, beaches and fertile land in the Nile Delta as they are subject to erosion, salt water intrusion and inundation.

Consequently, food security, human health, economy and ecosystems in Egypt are at risk.

Moreover, the cultural heritage and archaeological sites will be under risk of sea level rise and increasing the temperature and humidity.

Egypt is making a great effort to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change in many vulnerable sectors like agriculture, water resources, ecosystems, etc.

, as well, established national council for climate change to draw up the strategies and policies and action plans for adaptation and mitigation the impacts of climate change.

This research is filling the gap and investigates the adaptation and mitigation strategies and action plans related to cultural heritage sites and what are the actions that are needed for that, the capacity building in this context.

The research depends on analyzing national reports, UNFCCC reports, national plans and action plans and presidential and governmental decrees that related to climate change in addition we developed a questionnaire that targeted the specialists in the field of cultural heritage and archaeology especially from ministry of tourism and antiquities.

Analysis of these data will be presented in this article to provide more understanding and develop policies for cultural heritage mitigation from climate changes.