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Research framework

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Climate change is increasingly recognized as a major threat to the physical integrity of cultural heritage materials, altering the environmental conditions — temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, and extreme events — that determine the long-term conservation of historic sites and objects. Within this broader context, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [1] has historically paid limited attention to cultural heritage. A turning point came with the ICOMOS CHC White Paper II [2], which systematically addressed the impacts and risks of climate change for cultural heritage, intensifying dialogue with the climate science community. The subsequent IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) [3] reflects a growing — though still marginal — awareness of heritage issues. Meanwhile, it is the heritage research community itself that has taken the most proactive steps, increasingly adopting and adapting tools developed within the IPCC framework — such as risk assessment methodologies — to better understand and communicate the climate vulnerability of cultural heritage.

Dataset background

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The research underlying the creation of a dataset addressing the themes of Climate change and Cultural heritage, sits within the broader objectives of the doctoral research project Enhancement and sustainable fruition of Cultural Heritage in the era of ecological transition: open data and citizen science. The project focuses on assessing the impact of climate change on the conservation of metallic cultural heritage objects, examined in relation to their conservation environment. It further considers the role of open data infrastructures and the active involvement of citizen communities as key factors in developing more inclusive and sustainable approaches to cultural heritage conservation. The contribution of Wikimedia volunteer communities is therefore examined in relation to the themes of cultural heritage and climate change — two subjects of growing urgency that are attracting increasing attention across academic, institutional, and public domains.

Within this framework, the dataset collects and maps Wikipedia articles addressing, directly or marginally, the intersection of the related themes of Climate change and Cultural heritage. The following list of Wikipedia articles focuses on key references whose selection was conducted through the identification of well-established articles addressing the two subjects of interest, both in Italian and English. The enrichment of the corpus was guided by an analysis of citations and the interconnections among articles, as reflected within the textual content of the related articles. The list is divided into two main tables, both providing links to Wikipedia articles in Italian and/or English, accompanied by notes on their content with specific regard to the relationship between climate change and cultural heritage, or indicating the absence of such information. The first table (Articles) includes the most significant entries directly addressing the topics of interest, current legislation, thematic definitions and a list of UNESCO sites at risk due to climate change, both cultural and natural ones[4] [5]. The second table (Other articles) lists articles of peripheral relevance, such as non-profit organizations, thematic museums, and similar resources - which, while not central to the research, remain pertinent to it.

Topic Builder tool test
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Wikipedia Topic Builder tool[6] has been used to carry out a test relating to the construction, consultation and possible enrichment of the dataset under study, on the intersection of cultural heritage and climate change. The tool is integrated with artificial intelligence and, for the purpose of this study, Claude AI was used. The session began with a scoping phase, in which priorities have been set through targeted questions. At first, the analysis has been based on the English-language Wikipedia articles. The resulting scope centered on three areas: documented climate impacts on heritage sites, specific endangered-site case studies, and the policies and institutions involved in heritage conservation and climate adaptation. It has been specified that both cultural and natural heritage should be included, with coverage kept global and limited to the English Wikipedia. Within this framework, it has been drafted a three-tier relevance rubric (Central, Peripheral, and Out of scope) and saved it to guide a consistent scoring. Articles collection proceeded across four steps using varied strategies. At first, an initial keyword search surfaced nine conceptual and institutional articles. Then, they have pulled from the Wikipedia category "World Heritage Sites in Danger," previewing the category tree and discovering that deeper crawling introduced irrelevant tangents (such as unrelated biographical subcategories), so the pull was restricted to direct category members only. This yielded 78 articles, by far the largest single source. Two further steps of targeted searching filled thematic gaps, were identified as underrepresented, adding case studies on sea-level rise, coral reef degradation, permafrost archaeology, and coastal erosion, for a corpus totaling 97 articles. Each article has been scored as ‘Central’, ‘Peripheral’ or ‘Out of scope’, on a scale of 10 to 1 respectively. This scoring surfaced an important finding: the large "World Heritage Sites in Danger" category was thematically mixed, containing many sites endangered primarily by armed conflict, earthquakes, or vandalism rather than climate change. As a result, roughly half the corpus scored in the "out of scope" range, while a solid core of 20 articles scored as clearly central, with a further 6 scoring as relevant but secondary. The session concluded with redirect verification, confirming no duplicate entries, followed by an enriched CSV export containing titles, Wikidata identifiers, descriptions, scores, and source provenance for the full corpus. The same analysis has been also carried out on Wikipedia articles written exclusively in Italian resulting in a 26-article corpus, all scored for relevance. Five articles emerged as strongly central, each representing a clear, well-documented case of climate impact on heritage. Compared to the Wikipedia English articles, the Italian corpus is notably smaller (26 vs. 97 articles), reflecting narrower topical coverage and resulting in rely more heavily on individually verified case studies. The core finding stands, though: the strongest Italian-language coverage clusters around Venice's flooding and glacial/permafrost archaeology, mirroring the strongest English-language cases.

Wikipedia Topic Builder tool has proved very useful as it enabled to identify, through scoring, the topics most relevant to the research. Furthermore, it has been crucial in identifying items that had not previously been found, enabling to enrich the dataset with relevant and central english articles. The tool is simple to use and provides step-by-step guidance, from logging in with wiki credentials right through to pairing with the AI. Furthermore, receiving a step-by-step explanation of the search is essential for understanding how the analysis is carried out in depth; this is clear and effective, not least because of the option to download the summary file containing the final results.

The Results and Discussion paragraph lists the relevant articles added in the dataset, resulting both from the analysis conducted through the tool in english and in italian languages.

Purpose and aims

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The research conducted on the dataset pursues interconnected objectives. It mainly focuses on analysing the contribution of volunteer communities — both quantitative, in terms of the number and coverage of articles, and qualitative, in terms of depth, accuracy, and relevance of content — to the construction of shared knowledge on cultural heritage and climate change. In addition, the state of the articles collected and mapped within the dataset, is tested and evaluated through the application of the visualizing impact tool[7]. Through its practical application, this analytical instrument has been used to examine the current quality, depth, and relevance of existing Wikipedia contributions on the subject. This hands-on experience has allowed for a preliminary assessment of the tool's potential, highlighting both its strengths as a means of systematically evaluating open knowledge resources, and the limitations encountered during its use. In this regard, the development of the dataset and the analysis of the articles it contains are to be also understood as preparatory work, conducted in view of a dedicated Wikimedia event aimed at expanding and enhancing the coverage of cultural heritage and climate change topics within the Wikipedia community.

Relevant portals

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Articles

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Wikipedia in English Notes about Wikipedia articles in English Wikipedia in Italian Notes in Italian about Wikipedia articles in Italian
Cultural Heritage Understand what constitutes cultural heritage and the risks it faces, with reference to climate change [69 languages] Patrimonio culturale Understand what constitutes cultural heritage and the risks it faces, without reference to climate change [69 languages]
Climate change It covers the general scientific aspects, without reference to cultural heritage [113 languages] Cambiamento climatico It covers the general scientific aspects, without reference to cultural heritage [113 languages]
Climate change in Italy Analysis of climate change in the Italian context, without reference to cultural heritage [3 languages] Cambiamento climatico in Italia Missing article in Italian
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation; no reference su climate change [190 languages] UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation; no reference su climate change [190 languages]
World Heritage Convention Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; reference to a danger list [25 languagues] Convenzione sul patrimonio dell'umanità Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; reference to a danger list [25 languagues]
Effect of climate change Analysis of the effects of climate change, without reference to cultural heritage [38 languages] Effetti del cambiamento climatico Missing article in Italian
Cultural heritage at risk from climate change This concerns the risk posed by climate change to cultural heritage sites: with reference to Venice [1 language] Patrimonio culturale a rischio a causa del cambiamento climatico[8] [9] Missing article in Italian
Kilwa Kisiwani African UNESCO site at risk (erosion, vegetation) [46 languages] Kilwa Kisiwani African UNESCO site at risk (erosion, vegetation) [46 languages]
Chan Chan Peruvian UNESCO site at risk (erosion, flooding) [48 languages] Chan Chan Peruvian UNESCO site at risk (erosion, flooding) [48 languages]
Herschel Island Canadian UNESCO site at risk (coastal erosion) [21 languages] Isola Herschel Canadian UNESCO site at risk (coastal erosion) [21 languages]
Mosque City of Bagerhat UNESCO site in Bangladesh at risk (rising water levels, soil salinity) [48 languages] Città-moschea di Bagerhat UNESCO site in Bangladesh at risk (rising water levels, soil salinity) [48 languages]
Easter Island UNESCO site in Chile at risk (rising sea levels, storms) [139 languages] Isola di Pasqua UNESCO site in Chile at risk (rising sea levels, storms) [139 languages]
Bamyan UNESCO site in Afghanistan at risk [56 languages] Bamiyan UNESCO site in Afghanistan at risk [56 languages]
Minaret of Jam UNESCO site in Afghanistan at risk (erosion, water seepage and flooding) [71 languages] Minareto di Jam UNESCO site in Afghanistan at risk (erosion, water seepage and flooding) [71 languages]
Vienna Vienna’s historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is at risk (from flooding) [236 languages] Vienna Vienna’s historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is at risk (from flooding) [236 languages]
Potosí Sito UNESCO in Bolivia a rischio (prolungata attività mineraria) [73 lingue] Potosí UNESCO site in Bolivia at risk (ongoing mining activity) [73 languages]
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park UNESCO site in the Central African Republic at risk [51 languages] Parco nazionale del Manovo-Gounda St. Floris UNESCO site in the Central African Republic at risk [51 languages]
Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve African UNESCO site at risk (mining) [42 languages] Riserva naturale integrale del Monte Nimba African UNESCO site at risk (mining) [42 languages]
Garamba National Park African UNESCO site at risk (natural) [55 languages] Parco nazionale della Garamba African UNESCO site at risk (natural) [55 languages]
Kahuzi-Biéga National Park UNESCO site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at risk (natural) [50 languages] Parco nazionale di Kahuzi-Biega UNESCO site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at risk (natural) [50 languages]
Okapi Wildlife Reserve UNESCO site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at risk (natural) [57 languages] Riserva faunistica degli okapi UNESCO site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at risk (natural) [57 languages]
Virunga National Park UNESCO site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at risk (natural) [71 languages] Parco nazionale dei Virunga UNESCO site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at risk (natural) [71 languages]
Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve UNESCO site in Honduras at risk (natural) [43 languages] Riserva della biosfera del Río Plátano UNESCO site in Honduras at risk (natural) [43 languages]
Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra UNESCO site in Sumatra at risk (natural) [52 languages] Patrimonio della foresta tropicale di Sumatra UNESCO site in Sumatra at risk (natural) [52 languages]
Assur UNESCO site in Iraq at risk (floods) [73 languages] Assur (città antica) UNESCO site in Iraq at risk (floods) [73 languages]
Hatra UNESCO site in Iraq at risk (due to human activity) [58 languages] Hatra UNESCO site in Iraq at risk (due to human activity) [58 languages]
Samarra UNESCO site in Iraq at risk (due to human activity) [84 languages] Samarra UNESCO site in Iraq at risk (due to human activity) [84 languages]
Old City of Jerusalem UNESCO site in Jerusalem at risk (due to human activity) [74 languages] Città Vecchia di Gerusalemme UNESCO site in Jerusalem at risk (due to human activity) [74 languages]
Lake Turkana National Parks UNESCO site in Kenya at risk (due to human activity) [37 languages] Parchi nazionali del Lago Turkana UNESCO site in Kenya at risk (due to human activity) [37 languages]
Cyrene, Libya UNESCO site in Libya at risk (due to human activity) [71 languages] Cirene UNESCO site in Libya at risk (due to human activity) [71 languages]
Leptis Magna UNESCO site in Libya at risk (due to human activity) [66 languages] Leptis Magna UNESCO site in Libya at risk (due to human activity) [66 languages]
Sabratha UNESCO site in Libya at risk (due to human activity) [54 languages] Sabrata UNESCO site in Libya at risk (due to human activity) [54 languages]
Acacus Mountains UNESCO site in Libya at risk (due to human activity) [51 languages] Tadrart Acacus UNESCO site in Libya at risk (due to human activity) [51 languages]
Great Barrier Reef Coral reef system in Queensland, Australia at risk for climate change, natural UNESCO site [140 languages] Grande barriera corallina Coral reef system in Queensland, Australia at risk for climate change, natural UNESCO site [140 languages]
International Council on Monuments and Sites Reference to the working groups on sustainability and climate change – ICOMOS [44 languages] Consiglio internazionale per i monumenti e i siti Reference to the working groups on sustainability and climate change – ICOMOS [44 languages]
International Council of Museums Reference to environmental risks [48 languages] International Council of Museums Reference to environmental risks [48 languages]
World Heritage Site List of UNESCO sites relating to climate change [147 languages] Patrimonio dell'umanità List of UNESCO sites relating to climate change [147 languages]
List of World Heritage in Danger[10] UNESCO List of Cultural Heritage in Danger, in relation to climate change [53 languages] Patrimoni dell'umanità in pericolo UNESCO List of Cultural Heritage in Danger, in relation to climate change [53 languages]
List of landmarks destroyed or damaged by climate change List of sites destroyed or damaged as a direct consequence or side effect of human-induced climate change; reference to cultural sites [1 language] Elenco dei monumenti distrutti o danneggiati dai cambiamenti climatici Missing article in italian
List of destroyed heritage List of sites damaged or destroyed accidentally, intentionally or as a result of a natural disaster [1 language] Elenco dei beni culturali distrutti Missing article in italian
List of areas depopulated due to climate change Impacted settlements resulting in climate migration; no reference to cultural heritage [2 languages] Elenco delle aree spopolate a causa dei cambiamenti climatici Missing article in italian
Climate Heritage Network An international network working on climate change and cultural heritage, which helps to explore how museums and collections should adapt [2 languages] Rete per il patrimonio climatico Missing article in italian
Conservation and restoration of cultural property Conservation practices for cultural heritage, with reference to environmental impact and climatic conditions [24 languages] Conservazione dei beni culturali Describes conservation methodologies and approaches; useful for linking environmental impacts to museum practices [24 languages]
Preventive conservation Missing article in english Conservazione preventiva Work on buildings of historical and artistic interest to preserve their condition; no reference to climate change [8 languages]
Museum environments It describes how environmental conditions (humidity, light, pollutants, climate) affect the conservation of objects on display in museums [en] Ambienti museali

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Missing article in italian
Emergency management Environmental emergency management; with reference to the conservation of cultural heritage [29 languages] Gestione delle emergenze Management of human-induced and environmental risks; no reference to cultural heritage [29 languages]
Disaster preparedness (cultural property) Explains how climate change affects contingency plans and the conservation of historical and museum heritage [en] Preparazione alle catastrofi Measures taken to protect cultural heritage in the wake of disasters – climate change [it]
Agents of deterioration Lists and describes the factors that cause deterioration (light, humidity, pollutants, etc.) — many of which are climate-related [2 languages] Fattori di degrado [13] Missing article in italian
Sustainable materials use and disposal (conservation of cultural heritage) Green initiatives and practices relating to the conservation of cultural heritage; with reference to reducing environmental impacts [2 languages] Uso e smaltimento sostenibili dei materiali (tutela del patrimonio culturale) Missing article in italian
Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda Goals; SDG 11 Target 4 on cultural heritage [83 languages] Obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile 2030 Agenda goals; no reference to cultural heritage [83 languages]
List of Sustainable Development Goal targets and indicators List of SDGs relating to cultural heritage under Target 11.4 [2 languages] Elenco degli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile e indicatori Missing article in italian
Sustainable Development Reference to the SDGs, but not to cultural heritage [95 languages] Sviluppo sostenibile Reference to cultural heritage [95 languages]
Sustainability Reference to cultural sustainability; no reference to heritage [66 languages] Sostenibilità Reference to the cultural dimension and to UNESCO; no reference to heritage [66 languages]
Environmental degradation Environmental degradation; no reference to cultural heritage [29 languages] Degrado ambientale Environmental degradation; no reference to cultural heritage [29 languages]
Faro Convention Treaty on the Value of Cultural Heritage to Society, with reference to the promotion of sustainability [10 languages] Convenzione di Faro Treaty on the Value of Cultural Heritage to Society, with reference to the promotion of sustainability [10 languages]
Climate of Italy Climate analysis in Italy; no reference to cultural heritage [11 languages] Clima italiano Climate analysis in Italy; no reference to cultural heritage [11 languages]
Code of the Cultural and Landscape Heritage Missing article in english Codice dei beni culturali e del paesaggio Italian legislation setting out rules for protection (also relevant to environmental contexts) [it]
Fondo Ambiente Italiano An Italian organisation working to protect cultural and landscape sites, without any focus on environmental protection [8 languages] FAI -  Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano An Italian organisation working to protect cultural and landscape sites, with a focus on environmental conservation [8 languages]
Climate Justice A form of environmental justice focusing on the unequal effects of climate change on marginalised and/or vulnerable populations; there is no reference to cultural heritage [41 languages] Giustizia climatica A form of environmental justice focusing on the unequal effects of climate change on marginalised and/or vulnerable populations; there is no reference to cultural heritage [41 languages]
Museum Definition of a museum with reference to sustainability and climate change [151 languages] Museo Definition of a museum with reference to sustainability and climate change [151 languages]
Ecomuseum A cultural institution focused on a community’s local area, with no reference to sustainable development [18 languages] Ecomuseo A cultural organisation focused on a local community, with a focus on sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda [18 languages]
Green Museum It incorporates the principles of sustainability into its operational activities, programmes and structures [1 language] Green Museum Missing article in italian
Sustainable art Art forms in which the principle of sustainability takes centre stage [7 languages, not including Italian] Arte sostenibile Missing article in italian
Collections management Practices for managing cultural collections, with reference to risks associated with climate change [4 languages] Gestione delle collezioni Practices for managing cultural collections, with reference to risks associated with climate change [4 languages]
Low-carbon economy No reference to cultural heritage [24 languages] Decarbonizzazione No reference to cultural heritage [24 languages]
Environmental sustainability indicators Missing article in english Indicatori di sostenibilità ambientale Sustainability parameters with reference to cultural heritage as the field of application [it]
Climate action[14] Measures aimed at reducing the impact of climate change; with no reference to cultural heritage [8 languages] Azioni per il clima Missing article in italian
Climate change and indigenous peoples Climate change impacts indigenous peoples around the world when compared to non-indigenous peoples; reference to cultutal heritage [7 languages]. Cambiamenti climatici e popolazioni indigene Missing article in italian
Net-zero emissions Synonymous with ‘carbon neutrality’ and ‘climate neutrality’; no reference to cultural heritage [20 languages] Neutralità climatica Missing article in italian
Sea level rise The phenomenon of rising sea levels as a result of climate change; reference to the associated risk to cultural heritage [51 languages] Aumento del livello del mare The phenomenon of rising sea levels as a result of climate change; no reference to cultural heritage [51 languages]
Sea level rise in Venice The phenomenon of rising sea levels issued in Venice as a result of climate change [2 languages] Aumento del livello del mare a Venezia Missing article in italian
MOSE System of mobile barriers designed to protect the city of Venice: reference to climate change [22 languages] MOSE System of mobile barriers designed to protect the city of Venice: reference to climate change [22 languages]
Sea ice Floating ice mass as a result of climate change; no reference to cultural heritage [53 languages] Banchisa Floating ice mass as a result of climate change; no reference to cultural heritage [53 languages]
Coastal erosion Coastal erosion as a result of climate change; no reference to cultural heritage [23 languages] Erosione costiera Missing article in italian
Extreme weather Extreme weather conditions as a result of climate change; reference to cultural heritage in terms of the risk of loss [29 languages] Fenomeno meteorologico estremo An extreme weather event influenced by climate change; no reference to cultural heritage [29 languages]
Storm A state of disturbance affecting the natural environment or the atmosphere; no reference to cultural heritage [106 languages] Tempesta A state of disturbance affecting the natural environment or the atmosphere; no reference to cultural heritage [106 languages]
Cyclone A meteorological phenomenon involving a vast mass of air rotating around a strong centre of low atmospheric pressure; no reference to cultural heritage [90 languages] Ciclone A meteorological phenomenon involving a vast mass of air rotating around a strong centre of low atmospheric pressure; no reference to cultural heritage [90 languages]
Drought A period characterised by drier-than-normal weather conditions as a result of climate change; no reference to climate change [111 languages] Siccità A period characterised by drier-than-normal weather conditions as a result of climate change; no reference to climate change [111 languages]
Wildfire An unexpected and out-of-control fire caused by climate change; no reference to cultural heritage [59 languages] Incendio boschivo An unexpected and out-of-control fire caused by climate change; no reference to cultural heritage [59 languages]
GLAM (cultural heritage) An acronym for galleries, libraries, archives, and museums; reference to climate change [26 languages] GLAM An acronym for galleries, libraries, archives, and museums; no reference to climate change [26 languages]
Natural disaster The result of a violent natural event caused by climate change; no reference to cultural heritage [114 languages] Disastro naturale The result of a violent natural event caused by climate change; no reference to cultural heritage [114 languages]
Glacial archaeology Study of human artifacts preserved in ice; reference to climate change [2 languages] Archeologia glaciale Missing article in italian
World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development High level UNESCO cultural policy meeting held every 4 years; reference to climate change [2 languages] Conferenza mondiale sulle politiche culturali e lo sviluppo sostenibile Missing article in italian
Sustainability plan Missing article in english Bilancio di sostenibilità / Piano strategico di sostenibilità Missing article in italian. A tool also used by cultural institutions.
Disaster risk reduction[15] / Museums and disaster risk reduction Missing article in english Musei e riduzione del rischio di catastrofi Missing article in italian
Cultural loss Erosion of cultural practices or beliefs; reference to climate change [2 languages] Perdita culturale Missing article in italian
Climate change and Cultural Heritage[16] Missing article in english Cambiamento climatico e patrimonio culturale Missing article in italian
Cultural heritage and climate change[17] Missing article in english Patrimonio culturale e cambiamento climatico Missing article in italian
Climate action in cultural heritage[18] Missing article in english Azioni per il clima nel settore del patrimonio culturale[19] [20] Missing article in italian
Museums and the sustainable development goals[21] Missing article in english I musei e gli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile Missing article in italian
Method RE-ORG (ICCROM) Missing article in english Metodo RE-ORG Missing article in italian
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Wikipedia in English Notes about Wikipedia articles in English Wikipedia in Italian Notes about Wikipedia articles in Italian
World Monuments Fund A private non-profit organisation based in New York, whose aim is to preserve sites of historical and cultural significance around the world; reference to climate change [15 languages] World Monuments Fund A private non-profit organisation based in New York, whose aim is to preserve sites of historical and cultural significance around the world; reference to climate change [15 languages]
List of climate change initiatives List of international, national and local initiatives on climate change; no reference to cultural heritage [3 languages] Elenco delle iniziative sul cambiamento climatico Missing article in italian
Climate Museum First museum on climate change, New York [1 language] Climate Museum Missing article in italian
One Planet One Future An artistic and educational project that uses art to raise awareness of environmental threats and promote sustainable action (New York – Milan) [en] One Planet One Future Missing article in italian
Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change Museum dedicated to the topic of climate change in Sha Tin, Hong Kong [3 languages] Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change Missing article in italian
Climate change art An art form inspired by climate change and global warming [5 languages] Arte sul cambiamento climatico Missing article in italian
Climate central An American organisation that carries out research into climate change [7 languages] Climate central An American organisation that carries out research into climate change [7 languages]
A History of Environmentalism in Italy (1944–present) Missing article in english Storia dell'ambientalismo in Italia (1944-oggi) An analysis of the development of environmental movements and policies in Italy, including the roles of cultural institutions in promoting sustainability [it]
Museums for climate action[22] Missing article in english Musei per l'azione per il clima Missing article in italian

Research outputs

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The research generates an interconnected series of outputs that progressively build toward a broader goal of mapping and enhancing open knowledge on cultural heritage and climate change. At the core of this work is a thematic dataset of Wikipedia articles, organized by language and content notes, which also documents gaps where relevant articles are absent or underdeveloped. Drawing on this dataset, a practical assessment of the analytical tool has been conducted, resulting in a report (Topic Builder tool test) that reflects on its strengths and limitations as experienced during use. The dataset also outlines the current state of Wikipedia coverage on the subject and the related list is produced as preparatory work in view of the Wikipedia event. Taken together, these outputs feed into the overarching research deliverable of the doctoral thesis, which places community engagement and volunteer contribution at the centre of efforts to expand and improve shared knowledge on these increasingly urgent topics.

Results and Discussion

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In-depth research and analysis of Wikipedia articles in Italian and English – initially through manual research and subsequently supported by the tool – made it possible to generate a comprehensive dataset of articles that reflect an exploration of the topics of climate change and cultural heritage. The dataset has been compiled by drawing up a list of 91 articles deemed to be the most relevant, including general topics on climate change and cultural (and natural) heritage, with a focus on UNESCO sites at risk due to climate change, and further enriched by current legislation and codes of practice on the subject. Furthermore, the analysis has been expanded by including missing articles in both Italian and English that were deemed relevant to include, with a view to providing further detail in preparation for the organisation of a Wikipedia event. Of the 91 articles deemed relevant, some of the additions to the dataset are listed and described in detail below:

Notes

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  1. ↑ "IPCC - Special Report on Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C above Pre-industrial Levels in Context of Strengthening Response to Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty, 2022". 
  2. ↑ "ICOMOS / ISCM CHC - Impacts, Vulnerability, and Understanding Risks from Climate Change to Culture and Heritage, 2022". 
  3. ↑ "IPCC Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report. Cambridge University Press, 2022". 
  4. ↑ "World Heritage in Danger". ich.unesco.org. Retrieved 2026-03-16. 
  5. ↑ "UNESCO - State of conservation". 
  6. ↑ "Wikipedia Topic Builder". 
  7. ↑ "Visualizing impact. WikiProject Climate change popular articles". 
  8. ↑ "World Heritage in Danger". ich.unesco.org. Retrieved 2026-03-16. 
  9. ↑ "UNESCO - State of conservation". 
  10. ↑ "World Heritage in Danger". ich.unesco.org. Retrieved 2026-03-16. 
  11. ↑ "Museums and Disaster Risk Reduction: building resilience in museums, society and nature – Research – Museums for Climate Action". www.museumsforclimateaction.org. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 
  12. ↑ "Toolbox – Museums for Climate Action". www.museumsforclimateaction.org. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 
  13. ↑ "Agents of deterioration". 
  14. ↑ "Unesco page on climate action". 
  15. ↑ "Museums and Disaster Risk Reduction: building resilience in museums, society and nature – Research – Museums for Climate Action". www.museumsforclimateaction.org. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 
  16. ↑ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Climate Change and World Heritage". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 
  17. ↑ "Cultural heritage and climate change - UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage". ich.unesco.org. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 
  18. ↑ "IIC, ICCROM, and ICOM-CC agree Joint Commitment for Climate Action in Cultural Heritage | International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works". www.iiconservation.org. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 
  19. ↑ "Unesco page on climate action". 
  20. ↑ "Museums for climate action". 
  21. ↑ "Museums and the Sustainable Development Goals – Research – Museums for Climate Action". www.museumsforclimateaction.org. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 
  22. ↑ "Toolbox – Museums for Climate Action". www.museumsforclimateaction.org. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 

References

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Stakeholders

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Credits

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List produced by Alessia Minnella in the frame of her Ph.D. thesis Enhancement and sustainable fruition of Cultural Heritage in the era of ecological transition: open data and citizen science, integrated Iolanda Pensa and with her supervision. Supported by Chiara Somajni’s comments and feedback.

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