Global call for Cop28 policymakers to put culture on the climate agenda

The Museums Association (MA) is among the signatories of a global call to action for policymakers to put culture at the heart of climate planning.

The Climate Heritage Network is urging climate negotiators at the upcoming Cop28 summit (30 November-12 December) in the United Arab Emirates to include cultural heritage, the arts, and creative sectors in climate policy.

The call to action asks the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to back a “Joint Work Decision on Culture and Climate Action”, a UN process that would trigger policies and frameworks to enable culture to contribute fully to climate solutions.

The call to action states: “Culture is a powerful force that shapes all of our lives, wherever we are in the world. Yet in spite of its potential, culture has not been integrated into climate policy and planning.”

The Climate Heritage Network says a Joint Work Decision would launch a process to understand how culture is already supporting climate actions and solutions; harness cultural voices to influence audiences and consumers; unite the culture sector globally to scale up action; and influence key policies and discussions on adapting to the changing climate, decarbonising, supporting cultural knowledge keepers, safeguarding heritage and culture, and innovating with creativity.

Sharon Heal, the director of the MA, said: “We are pleased to be signing this important global call to action. Museums can and should be at the centre of climate action.

“We encourage museums to be bold and brave. Museums can champion change by helping people to imagine and realise the actions that need to be taken to achieve climate justice.”

The call to action has been signed by other museum sector bodies including the National Museum Directors’ Council and Nemo – the Network of European Museum Organisations.

The call to action comes weeks after UK museum leaders issued a joint commitment tackle the climate crisis, following the first ever UK Museum Cop event at the Tate Modern earlier this month. Museum leaders are pledging to take collective action to decarbonise the sector and mitigate the impacts of the climate and biodiversity crisis.

National Trust calls for new legislation

Meanwhile the National Trust has this week published a landmark report detailing the climate adaptation challenges it faces and calling on all political parties to ramp up progress with new legislation.

The report estimates that 71% of National Trust properties will be at medium to high risk of climate hazards by 2060.

To help identify where it needs to adapt, the charity has further developed its Hazard Map desktop tool, first launched in 2021, adding new layers to pinpoint the risk from threats such as wildfires, rainfall days, strong winds and drought.

Using this tool and on-the-ground observations, the trust has produced a visualisation of how Penrhyn Castle and Garden in North Wales could look in 2060 if an approach to adaptation isn’t taken.

The charity says it is already experiencing firsthand the consequences of more frequent extreme weather events, from heavier rainfall causing repeated flooding, to rising temperatures, prolonged periods of drought and more wildfires across its landholding.

These changes are also beginning to affect some of the 28,000 buildings and collections in its care, as well as causing challenges for the volunteers and staff who are managing the impacts. In some places, heavier rainfall is overwhelming historic guttering systems causing recurring issues with damp, while higher temperatures are causing issues with humidity as well as providing niches for pests and diseases.

Patrick Begg, outdoors and natural resources director at the National Trust, said: “Climate change presents the single biggest threat to the places in our care and the single biggest challenge to our mission – to look after places of nature, beauty and history for everyone to enjoy, now and in the future.

“It demands our urgent and unswerving attention, and we call on our partners and on governments across the UK to stand with us, and to do more to confront the challenges we all face [...]

“In just the last month, two major storms, Babet and Ciarán, caused beaches to be eroded, flooding in our gardens, significant trees to topple and, ironically, for our hydro at Cragside in Northumberland – the birthplace of hydroelectricity – to be temporarily overwhelmed,” he said.

“Our staff are already seeing changes where they work. Climate change isn’t something that is happening abroad, it is happening right here and now.”