Climate Brief: Our History Under Threat

Yesterday, the National Park Service announced high temperatures in Washington, D.C., necessitated the removal of rare historic documents from the Lincoln Memorial. Temperatures in DC were forecasted to top 100 degrees this week.Two documents, the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, both signed by Abraham Lincoln, were scheduled to be on display for a year.

Yahoo reports:

“Out of an abundance of caution, these sacred documents are being temporarily relocated while the National Park Service resolves the environmental challenges driven by the heatwave engulfing Washington D.C.,” the statement said.

Temperatures in Washington rose into the 90s on Wednesday, with highs above 100 forecast for Thursday.

Changes in humidity caused by high heat results in a cycle of expansion and contraction of the documents which causes fading, cracking and flaking of the material. Depending on the type of material, historical papers are best preserved in temperatures below 70 degrees with a relative humidity of 30-50%.

The Threat to Historic Sites

And it isn’t only documents which are threatened. Around the world, historic sites are being impacted by rising sea levels, high temperatures, floods, and wild fires, all accelerated by climate change.

In Paris, the Eiffel Tower and Le Louvre have closed due to high temperatures in recent heat waves. In Easter Island, the Moaai statues are experiencing thermal stress and cracking because of high temperatures and the rising sea. Ancient painted earthen sites and mud-brick temples in Burkina Faso and Iraq are threatened by spikes in humidity and are experiencing expansion due to heat.

PBS reports on five national historic landmarks threatened by climate chang: Jamestown, Ponce Historic Zone, Boston Harbor Islands, the Olivewood Cemetery, and monuments in New Mexico.

Right now, these landmarks prompt visitors to “think about ourselves and our stories and our actions as part of a larger continuum. We are part of something bigger than ourselves,” [chief preservation officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation,Katherine ] Malone-France said. But losing that history to climate change means we also lose a chance at connection with “each other’s heritage and accomplishments and stories.”

In 2022, Time magazine, reporting on Hurricane Ida, noted the impact of severe environmental disasters on the nation’s museums and other organizations involved in the preservation of America’s history. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of places are dealing with the challenge of saving our legacy. Last year, FEMA fielded 65 major disaster requests.