Do you know what…?
Do you know how El Niño could put culture at risk?
When people think about El Niño, they usually think about weather rather than culture. Yet UNESCO is preparing for the of the 2026–2027 El Niño event on museums, heritage sites, cultural institutions and communities. On 11 September 2026, UNESCO announced a campaign to help countries prepare for these risks, combining emergency planning, and scientific information. The initiative shows that extreme climate events can affect not only buildings and landscapes, but also the cultural practices and knowledge connected to them.
The scale of the challenge is becoming easier to measure. UNESCO's 2026 Culture Data Release says that the number of countries responding to its survey on spending to protect cultural and natural heritage has risen from 30 in the initial 2020 cycle to 92 in the latest cycle. UNESCO is also planning temporary exhibitions on El Niño in six countries, using museums as places for education and public awareness. Behind the scenes, therefore, cultural institutions are increasingly being asked to prepare for environmental risks as well as to preserve collections and traditions.
The response does not mean that culture can be separated from climate policy; rather, the two are becoming more closely connected. UNESCO's approach combines scientific information with preparedness and community engagement, while recognising that heritage includes both physical places and living cultural practices. The message is straightforward: when environmental risks increase, protecting culture may require planning before a crisis arrives, not simply repairing damage afterwards. In that sense, El Niño is becoming a reminder that safeguarding culture is also about preparing for the future.