limate change affects every aspect of our lives, from the food we produce and our health to global peace and security. But the climate crisis is transforming not only our natural ecosystems but also our social and cultural landscapes, eroding our tangible and intangible heritage and practices, and depriving us of precious sources of resilience, meaning, identity, and knowledge.
In short, the climate crisis is rapidly becoming a cultural emergency. Climate change is already damaging important sites around the world, with UNESCO reporting that nearly one-third of its 318 World Heritage cities are located in vulnerable coastal areas. These historic locations, which have long linked countries and communities to their cultural identities, now face gradual erosion and are in danger of being lost forever.
Moreover, climate change poses a clear and immediate threat to communities’ unique ways of life. Oral traditions, performing arts, festive events, and traditional knowledge, all of which have developed gradually over many generations, are vulnerable to the ravages of the climate crisis.
While climate change poses a significant threat to our cultural heritage, culture also plays a vital role in mitigating and adapting to its effects. We can and must learn from culturally driven projects in both the Global North and South that have already helped unlock innovation, promote climate solutions, change behaviors, and foster inclusivity.
For example, the flash floods that severely damaged the Indian fortress town of Golconda in 2020 spurred local students to develop a board game that aims to encourage and empower children to engage in climate action. This youth-led response to climate change shows the fundamental role that culture, from arts to heritage, can play in helping individuals find their voice and take proactive steps to adopt, share, and promote sustainable behaviors.
But culture-based climate action is about more than just changing behavior. By harnessing the power of diverse cultural values, knowledge, storytelling, design, creativity, and heritage (both tangible and intangible), we can develop and advance the actions necessary to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises.
Another example of a culture-based environmental initiative is a women-led sustainable-development program which focuses on reviving hand-crafted terracotta tiles in Pakistan’s Makli necropolis, a World Heritage site. To date, the program has successfully laid 150,000 terracotta paving tiles, whose porousness helps mitigate flooding. Besides nurturing an appreciation of heritage crafts and creating jobs by developing a low-carbon terracotta and glazed-tile industry, this project demonstrates how tangible and intangible cultural heritage can help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and aid in climate adaptation.
There are numerous other examples of practical, local, and culturally driven climate interventions to learn from. The green architecture methods adopted by the Otammari people in Boukoumbé, Benin, emphasize the responsible use of local materials and the application of techniques that have been maintained through the transmission of indigenous knowledge and practices. This approach could play a central role in addressing the environmental and climatic challenges facing humanity.
Relying on renewable resources, combined with technical knowhow that incorporates traditional techniques and creative innovation, eliminates greenhouse-gas emissions and consumes very little energy. It also fosters a healthy and just relationship between communities and their natural environment, as well as a connection with their unique cultural heritage. Globally, there are numerous examples of communities united by a shared interest in and passion for climate action.
Culture-based climate action is, above all, inclusive. It strives to involve as many people as possible, encouraging co-creation, cooperation, and mutual learning. As the United Nations’ recent “global stocktake” report emphasizes, everyone can do more to combat climate change, and no one can claim otherwise.
As Co-Chairs of the Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action (GFCBCA)—an informal coalition of countries deeply committed to both culture and climate action—the United Arab Emirates and Brazil recognize that culture is a unique and powerful force that must assume a more prominent role in advancing climate solutions. GFCBCA is advocating stronger protections for at-risk heritage sites and for indigenous knowledge and ideas. We also call on governments around the world to incorporate the conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage sites into their climate adaptation and mitigation plans.
In addition to protecting physical heritage sites, we recognize the need to increase support for those in the cultural sector whose livelihoods are jeopardized by climate change. This includes artists, creative professionals, guardians of indigenous knowledge, and those involved in cultural tourism, particularly women and young people.
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai is a unique opportunity to collaborate with like-minded countries and work together to urge our global partners to recognize that the fate of culture is inextricably linked to the climate emergency. We aim to highlight the necessity of leveraging culture-based climate action to avert environmental catastrophe. We must challenge, encourage, and empower the vast network of creatives, culture and heritage professionals, public entities, advocates, and institutions, and pool our collective efforts to combat climate change and protect the world’s cultural heritage.
Those of us in the creative sector often observe culture’s transformative power and its unparalleled ability to effect positive change. At COP28, all countries must join forces and pledge to safeguard both our cultural heritage and the planet.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2023.
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The Power of Culture-Based Climate Action
Split, Croatia, is among the 318 UNESCO World Heritage cities located in coastal areas. Image by Waltteri Paulaharju from Pixabay
December 11, 2023
The climate crisis is not only transforming our natural ecosystems, but also our cultural landscapes. While culture is vulnerable to climate impacts, culture also plays a pivotal role in how we combat climate change, write Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi and Margareth Menezes.
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limate change affects every aspect of our lives, from the food we produce and our health to global peace and security. But the climate crisis is transforming not only our natural ecosystems but also our social and cultural landscapes, eroding our tangible and intangible heritage and practices, and depriving us of precious sources of resilience, meaning, identity, and knowledge.
In short, the climate crisis is rapidly becoming a cultural emergency. Climate change is already damaging important sites around the world, with UNESCO reporting that nearly one-third of its 318 World Heritage cities are located in vulnerable coastal areas. These historic locations, which have long linked countries and communities to their cultural identities, now face gradual erosion and are in danger of being lost forever.
Moreover, climate change poses a clear and immediate threat to communities’ unique ways of life. Oral traditions, performing arts, festive events, and traditional knowledge, all of which have developed gradually over many generations, are vulnerable to the ravages of the climate crisis.
While climate change poses a significant threat to our cultural heritage, culture also plays a vital role in mitigating and adapting to its effects. We can and must learn from culturally driven projects in both the Global North and South that have already helped unlock innovation, promote climate solutions, change behaviors, and foster inclusivity.
For example, the flash floods that severely damaged the Indian fortress town of Golconda in 2020 spurred local students to develop a board game that aims to encourage and empower children to engage in climate action. This youth-led response to climate change shows the fundamental role that culture, from arts to heritage, can play in helping individuals find their voice and take proactive steps to adopt, share, and promote sustainable behaviors.
But culture-based climate action is about more than just changing behavior. By harnessing the power of diverse cultural values, knowledge, storytelling, design, creativity, and heritage (both tangible and intangible), we can develop and advance the actions necessary to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises.
Another example of a culture-based environmental initiative is a women-led sustainable-development program which focuses on reviving hand-crafted terracotta tiles in Pakistan’s Makli necropolis, a World Heritage site. To date, the program has successfully laid 150,000 terracotta paving tiles, whose porousness helps mitigate flooding. Besides nurturing an appreciation of heritage crafts and creating jobs by developing a low-carbon terracotta and glazed-tile industry, this project demonstrates how tangible and intangible cultural heritage can help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and aid in climate adaptation.
There are numerous other examples of practical, local, and culturally driven climate interventions to learn from. The green architecture methods adopted by the Otammari people in Boukoumbé, Benin, emphasize the responsible use of local materials and the application of techniques that have been maintained through the transmission of indigenous knowledge and practices. This approach could play a central role in addressing the environmental and climatic challenges facing humanity.
Relying on renewable resources, combined with technical knowhow that incorporates traditional techniques and creative innovation, eliminates greenhouse-gas emissions and consumes very little energy. It also fosters a healthy and just relationship between communities and their natural environment, as well as a connection with their unique cultural heritage. Globally, there are numerous examples of communities united by a shared interest in and passion for climate action.
Culture-based climate action is, above all, inclusive. It strives to involve as many people as possible, encouraging co-creation, cooperation, and mutual learning. As the United Nations’ recent “global stocktake” report emphasizes, everyone can do more to combat climate change, and no one can claim otherwise.
As Co-Chairs of the Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action (GFCBCA)—an informal coalition of countries deeply committed to both culture and climate action—the United Arab Emirates and Brazil recognize that culture is a unique and powerful force that must assume a more prominent role in advancing climate solutions. GFCBCA is advocating stronger protections for at-risk heritage sites and for indigenous knowledge and ideas. We also call on governments around the world to incorporate the conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage sites into their climate adaptation and mitigation plans.
In addition to protecting physical heritage sites, we recognize the need to increase support for those in the cultural sector whose livelihoods are jeopardized by climate change. This includes artists, creative professionals, guardians of indigenous knowledge, and those involved in cultural tourism, particularly women and young people.
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai is a unique opportunity to collaborate with like-minded countries and work together to urge our global partners to recognize that the fate of culture is inextricably linked to the climate emergency. We aim to highlight the necessity of leveraging culture-based climate action to avert environmental catastrophe. We must challenge, encourage, and empower the vast network of creatives, culture and heritage professionals, public entities, advocates, and institutions, and pool our collective efforts to combat climate change and protect the world’s cultural heritage.
Those of us in the creative sector often observe culture’s transformative power and its unparalleled ability to effect positive change. At COP28, all countries must join forces and pledge to safeguard both our cultural heritage and the planet.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2023.
