With the current and coming climate crisis, archaeologists are questioning how best to contribute to multidisciplinary climate change knowledge. In this respect, much work is being undertaken within multidisciplinary conversations on adaptation and resilience. However, less attention has been paid to the other side of the climate change equation: mitigation. Furthermore, less emphasis has been placed on the translation of archaeological research to public understandings of climate change. Cultural heritage offers an analytical tool for bridging archaeological knowledge to the specific socio-political and ethical challenges facing communities today under global climate change. I suggest that cultural heritage can act as a “proxy” for transferring the archaeological record into the lived experiences of climate change for individuals and public actors. Moreover, in supporting experiences of change, cultural heritage also builds capacity for mobilizing social change, and therefore is well-suited to advocacy work seeking climate mitigation.
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