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The briefing argues that archaeology and cultural heritage provide critical data on long-term sustainability and the history of climate-changing systems, yet remain 'effectively invisible' in major climate response frameworks. It highlights a significant funding and staffing disparity between natural and cultural resource management within the U.S. National Park Service and the U.S. Global Change Research Program. The speaker proposes establishing a federal Climate Heritage Coordination Office, linking heritage to climate research and investment, and expanding NGO engagement to better integrate human history and community values into climate adaptation planning.

Jamestown Island, the site of the first permanent English colony in North America, faces an existential threat from rising sea levels and severe storm surges. Much of the land is less than five feet above water and is sinking due to groundwater extraction. Local sea levels are rising at more than twice the global average, with projections suggesting a rise of up to six feet by the end of the century. The area is highly vulnerable to stronger North Atlantic storms, as evidenced by Hurricane Isabel in 2003, which caused $20 million in damages to the Colonial National Historical Park and threatened nearly a million artifacts. While the National Park Service has implemented protections like riprap and is monitoring sea level rise, some areas, such as a corner of the original Jamestown Fort, have already been lost.