Climate change is transforming our environment and posing a threat to cities, landscapes, and cultural heritage. However, heritage is not only a vulnerable asset but also part of the solution: it is itself an example of durability and responsible use of resources. On 26 September, the National Commission for Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Lithuania adopted a decision calling on the Government and the Ministry of Culture to integrate cultural heritage into Lithuania’s green transition policies, emphasizing that cultural heritage can be part of the solution in addressing climate change.
Its preservation and responsible use can become one of the means to address the climate crisis and build a more sustainable society. Heritage itself represents a model of responsible resource use. Historic buildings, urban fabric, and cultural landscapes create an already existing environment that reduces the need for new construction and the waste of resources.
“The greenest buildings are those that have already been built,” emphasizes the Chair of the Heritage Commission, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vaidutė Ščiglienė. When the full life-cycle costs of a building are taken into account, it becomes clear that even with higher operational costs, the continued use of historic buildings often results in a lower environmental impact than new construction. These buildings were constructed from local, natural materials whose production required less energy, while their longevity means that the energy already invested in them — the so-called embodied energy — continues to serve for longer.
Heritage Commission is an expert and advisor to the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, President of the Republic of Lithuania and to Government of the Republic of Lithuania regarding the national policy of cultural heritage protection, its implementation, evaluation and improvement.