Cultural heritage in climate planning: An analysis of the Norwegian national climate documents and guidelines

Cultural heritage management is increasingly recognized as integral to climate action and sustainable development. Yet, limited research has explored how sociocultural elements are operationalized within coherent climate strategies. This paper proposes an analytical framework to evaluate the integration of cultural heritage within climate policy discourses, tested through a case study of twenty Norwegian national climate policy documents. Applying transformative approaches to climate governance, this study emphasizes cultural heritage management’s role in supporting systemic change. The framework identifies two primary shifts in policy discourse driven by cultural heritage paradigms: (1) integration across three stages—from visions and actions to monitoring—and (2) expanded sectoral collaboration, opening pathways for transformative governmental coordination. Findings reveal an evolution in cultural heritage’s role, from initial concerns about conservation conflicts due to climate impacts to recognizing cultural heritage as a sector requiring knowledge-building in adaptation strategies. The analysis further suggests an expanded view of cultural heritage’s contribution to the quality of life through shared sociocultural values, highlighting opportunities to extend its role from technical advisor to a strategic, relational actor within governance networks. By examining the case of Norway, this study concretizes entry points for cultural heritage’s potential as a catalyst for cross-sectoral collaboration, adaptive governance, and inclusive decision-making, setting a foundation for exploring local-level integration and interdisciplinary collaboration in sustainability governance.