Logo: to the web site of Uppsala University

uu.sePublications from Uppsala University
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Implementing the Green Energy Transition in a UNESCO World Heritage City: A Case Study of Visby, Sweden
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Law, Department of Law. Jindal Global Law School, O. P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5464-2135
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Department of Archaeology, Ancient History and Conservation, Conservation.
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Law, Department of Law.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0843-5714
2025 (English)In: Journal for European Environmental & Planning Law, ISSN 1613-7272, E-ISSN 1876-0104, Vol. 22, no 3, p. 271-324Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Over 300 cities are inscribed on the World Heritage List. While each site has its unique challenges and opportunities, in each of them a balance must be achieved in protecting heritage values and meeting demands of modern life, including the demand for energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This article uses Visby (Sweden) as a case study to examine how conservation laws implementing the World Heritage Convention in light of international commitments to mitigate climate change can influence the balance between cultural heritage preservation and energy measures in historic sites. International laws must be implemented by states. But these national laws must be applied locally, in each heritage site. It is therefore important to examine how regional and local decision makers, including individual property owners, navigate and understand their obligations stemming from international laws in order to understand the impact and challenges in meeting sustainability goals in heritage sites. We find that while Visby’s World Heritage status promotes a high level of cultural heritage protection, restrictive laws alone fall short in achieving sustainability. Supportive factors such as funding, planning tools, knowledge support and dissemination, and community engagement help bridge these gaps. We recommend further support for financial incentives, place-based technological solutions, and collaboration amongst experts and others to help officials and property owners make choices that are sustainable from both energy and heritage perspectives.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Brill Nijhoff, 2025. Vol. 22, no 3, p. 271-324
Keywords [en]
World Heritage cities, Green energy transition, Environmental law, Multilateral governance, Local implementation
National Category
Law
Research subject
Environmental Law
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-555975DOI: 10.1163/18760104-22030004OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-555975DiVA, id: diva2:1956963
Funder
Swedish Energy AgencyRiksbankens JubileumsfondAvailable from: 2025-05-07 Created: 2025-05-07 Last updated: 2025-06-16Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Powering Preservation: Balancing Heritage Conservation and Energy Transition in World Heritage Cities
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Powering Preservation: Balancing Heritage Conservation and Energy Transition in World Heritage Cities
2025 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

This dissertation examines the intersection of heritage conservation and sustainable energy transition in the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Visby (Sweden), Jaipur (India), and Bath (England, United Kingdom). This dissertation, presented through a series of four articles investigates how different national and local legal systems respond to similar international legal obligations and how these legal norms are interpreted and applied in practice by decision-makers and relevant stakeholders at the local level, particularly with regard to balancing cultural heritage conservation with energy transition and sustainability goals.

The first article examines the national legal systems of Sweden, India, and the United Kingdom and how the obligations of the World Heritage Convention are implemented in light of commitments to mitigate climate change under the Paris Agreement in the World Heritage cities of Visby, Jaipur, and Bath. The second and third articles focus on Visby (Sweden) and Jaipur (India) to investigate how public officials and other relevant stakeholders interpret and apply national and international obligations to preserve cultural heritage in light of commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. It further explores how these legal frameworks influence perception and decision-making processes, as well as how they produce both opportunities and challenges in balancing energy transition and sustainability with heritage conservation at the local level. The fourth article examines the effectiveness, legitimacy, and fairness of conservation practices under the World Heritage Convention, specifically regarding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in heritage nomination, protection, and management, and uses biocultural heritage and rights as a framework for integrating natural, cultural, tangible, and intangible heritage, with illustrative examples from Kenya and Sweden.

This thesis contributes to heritage and energy sustainability by recommending a more flexible approach within existing legal frameworks that incorporates soft-law mechanisms, such as funding and education programs, as well as capacity building among public officials and local communities to bridge policy and practice gaps in World Heritage cities. Drawing inspiration from the emerging idea of biocultural heritage, it additionally highlights the need to protect the relationships between people and their environments, even in cities. These findings underscore the importance of shared global responsibility to conserve World Heritage sites in the face of evolving environmental and urban challenges.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Uppsala University, 2025. p. 174
Keywords
World Heritage Convention, Climate Action, Energy Transition, World Heritage Cities, Biocultural Heritage, Sustainability, Multilateral Environmental Agreements
National Category
Law
Research subject
Environmental Law
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-555980 (URN)978-91-506-3117-3 (ISBN)
Public defence
2025-08-29, E-22, Campus Gotland, Cramégatan 3, Visby, Gotland, 10:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2025-06-02 Created: 2025-05-08 Last updated: 2025-06-02

Open Access in DiVA

fulltext(1348 kB)13 downloads
File information
File name FULLTEXT01.pdfFile size 1348 kBChecksum SHA-512
c1c64645239db11546e6a1132b72d23f281981afce439f79a86ca6ab4c7c58bfcfd29e34a415ad4cdc8a94998a487c90585b4e610563ed9c1697502f30290115
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

Other links

Publisher's full text

Authority records

Bhati, Harsh VardhanGeijer, MiaEpstein, Yaffa

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Bhati, Harsh VardhanGeijer, MiaEpstein, Yaffa
By organisation
Department of LawConservation
In the same journal
Journal for European Environmental & Planning Law
Law

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
Total: 14 downloads
The number of downloads is the sum of all downloads of full texts. It may include eg previous versions that are now no longer available

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 96 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf