Culture Minister Lina Mendoni has warned of the urgent need to protect antiquities from the ravages of climate change.
Speaking at a conference in Crete, Ms. Medonis detailed a broad action plan at national and international levels involving the creation of specific adaptation strategies for major archaeological sites to counter climate threats.
A pilot project, funded by the European Recovery and Resilience Facility, is in progress to secure the sustainability of five high-value archaeological sites by 2025.
An ongoing seminar in Crete is expected to delve into the climate risks facing cultural heritage and develop adaptation plans for a Greek archaeological site, with interdisciplinary support.
Sponsored by the Greek Ministry of Culture, the U.S. Embassy, and ICOM’s Greek chapter, with academic input from the University of Athens, the event focuses on collaborative efforts to safeguard cultural assets.
Ms. Mendoni pointed out that it is the third take of a series that brings together specialists from Cyprus, Turkey, Jordan, and Malta—nations with rich cultural legacies now threatened by climate change. The seminar aims to foster expertise exchange to overcome these emerging challenges.
Highlighting the deepening cultural cooperation between Greece and the U.S., Ms. Mendoni mentioned the potential expansion of the seminar series to address illegal trafficking of cultural goods. She said the responsibility of the current generation is to ensure that future generations inherit a cultural legacy unaltered by natural or human-induced dangers, including climate change.