Preserving an Intangible Sky Abstract

Title: Preserving an Intangible Sky: Evolving Narratives of Climate in Baguio's Cultural Landscape

This paper proposes a novel approach to critical heritage studies by conceptualizing climate, in itself, as an integral part of heritage. While recent dialogues on climate heritage have certainly touched and at times focused on the impact of climate change on heritage conservation as well as the potential of heritage as a climate solution, there are yet to be discussions centering on climate as, in itself, a component of heritage. As might be expected, this proposition may at first seem nonsensical as climate, being natural phenomenon, appears antithetical to culture, which is manmade. However, I argue that while humans may not have control over climate, they do have control over the narratives of climate, which then affects their relationship to their natural and built worlds. This paper presents the City of Baguio, Philippines, as a case study on how the physical characteristics of climate and weather are inextricably linked to a place and a people's history and identity. Through distant and close readings of how Baguio climate and weather has been described from colonial texts to contemporary accounts, I examine how people's historical relationship with climate informs current responses to environmental challenges, and how evolving climate realities are negotiated within the context of long-standing cultural narratives. At its heart, this paper seeks to problematize one of the most pervasive elements of urban life in Baguio City, contributing to discourses of urban ecology, critical heritage, climate change, and sustainability.