Climate Crisis, Cities and Cultural Heritage: A Case Study of the Island of NGAZIDJA (Comoros)
Abstract:
This study talks about the link between climate crisis, cities and cultural heritage in relation to the evolu tion of cities in the Comoros, a country with deep African cultural roots on an archipelago in the Western Indian Ocean. It is based on specific cases where the cultural heritage of the Comoro Islands in particular of Ngazidja, is actually affected by the climate crisis. Cities and all representations of cultural heritage face consequences linked to the climate crisis. This climate crisis is linked to natural phenomena, but is primarily caused by the burning of fossils fuels in the industrialized nations. This research work focuses on cities and towns of the coastal areas. Coastal areas are places where most of the towns on the island of gazidja exist. These manifest a strong presence of cultural heritage. In some coastal regions, there are monuments such as tombs and rural mosques and many archaeological sites marking ancient towns and villages. This work demonstrates that the climate crisis generates very varied and specific consequences for the environment of the island of Ngazidja, but relevant to other islands of the Comorian Archipelago and perhaps to many other island nations. The design of cities on the island of Ngazidja must be constructed to survive the rising waters of the Indian Ocean causing sea erosion in coastal regions. Also important is flooding caused by overflowing rivers and heavy rain in some cities and towns of traditional masonry. The presence of the volcano of Karthala on the island of Ngazidja, which is still active, also creates other crises such as volcanic eruptions. The aim of this work is to clarify the situation of cities and other places and the different places where cultural heritage is threatened or endangered due to the climate crisis.
