Framework For Climate Action In Culture & Heritage
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Draft framework for climate action in culture and heritage 1
Overview and principles
This framework aims to help cultural and heritage organisations think broadly: - about the risks of climate change for their own future and - how they can make a contribution to tackle ‘global climatic disruption’1 It may be most useful for museums, galleries, archives, libraries and heritage bodies but it contains much of relevance to related sectors2. It is an articulation of the principles of Flow Associates to underpin our work with clients, alongside two other papers on Cultural Service Design and Creative Enquiry as a Learning Approach. We are sharing it because we hope it will be of some wider use in a context of crisis. If you want to share any resources, or discuss and improve this framework, please contact [email protected] To succeed in implementing this framework, organisations will need to consider some principles, adapting them as relevant: •
However local our remit, we accept a global responsibility and perspective.
•
The survival of our own organisation as it is, is only important so that we can contribute to wider social and global challenges.
•
Sustainability is not about the survival of every initiative but the evolution of our services to meet environmental, cultural and educational needs as they change.
•
It is essential that we collaborate with other bodies to share knowledge and resources.
•
We need to make our assets even more accessible to aid urgent and pragmatic learning from them. This may involve increasing digital access to our culture and knowledge.
•
We should not delay in reducing greenhouse gas emissions across our operations, as this is only a first step.
•
We must model and enable imaginative thinking and practice, working optimistically and generously with creative people and ideas.
•
We must aim to think systemically to deal with the complexity of the situation, so that we can continually reassess our priorities.
1 Used by John Holdren, President Obama’s advisor on environmental policy, as a replacement for the term climate change. It conveys more accurately the unpredictable, dangerous and global nature of the situation. 2 The framework is conceived for the UK, especially England where culture is governed by Department for Culture, Media & Sport whose ‘family’ also includes media & broadcast, sport, tourism & the creative industries.
2
Action spreads through three levels
2.1
Generic to all public & commercial organisations
The twin challenges for any organisation are the mitigation of risk and adapting to change:
2.2
Generic to all bodies with a public engagement mission
Public service broadcasters, arts agencies, science or design bodies, should consider how both their operations and their mission can help us mitigate and adapt to climate change:
2.3
Generic to all cultural and heritage bodies
3
Contributions by cultural heritage organisations
3.1
Global risk
All in this sector have missions to sustain cultural activity, to preserve heritage in perpetuity and to help people cope with change and prepare for challenge.
The effects of climate disruption on a single country must be understood in a global context. The UK’s economy is reliant on other countries for its food supply and industrial production. Also, loss of liveable land worldwide will place much greater pressures on the UK from migration, aid responsibilities and an increased threat of terrorism and war. These factors, resulting in a severe economic downturn and food shortage, will significantly outweigh the risks of extreme local weather or tidal events for the UK culture & heritage sectors. Culture and heritage will not be seen as a priority in these circumstances although there is much evidence from the past that communities which maintain strong cultural participation are more resilient and creative in crises. The most positive approach is to demonstrate the value of cultural heritage in tackling this crisis rather than seeking to preserve our notions and practices which have evolved in a context of affluence and leisure. This chart lists the climate change risks identified by the 4th Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007 and it suggests some contributions the sector can make to mitigate or adapt to them. It may be helpful to identify these actions as opportunities. Note that the 4th Panel was based on science conducted up to 2005. Models since then, for example by MIT in 2009, identify greater risks as polar ice is melting much faster than predicted. IPPC’s risks posed by climate change
Cultural & heritage organisations can aid work to:
Danger to up to 118 million people losing their communities to the sea (and new models suggest the risk is faced by 600 million)
• • •
•
• •
Risk of famine due to the threatening of crops through aridity, flood, altered growth cycles and pests [Note, this is combined with loss of biodiversity caused by factors other than climate change]
•
A large increase in the range of diseases such as malaria
•
Ecosystem changes, in particular a growth of deserts and a reduction of forests. [Note, this destruction is both directly human-caused e.g. logging & plastic pollution of seas & a consequence of climate change e.g. forest fires, hurricane damage]
• •
• • • •
•
• • • •
Explore the experience of people in places such as Bangladesh or Egypt, to understand the impact of severe flooding. Describe and promote engineering & ecosystem solutions e.g. the Delta Project to enable people to learn and adapt them. Record and interpret the threatened heritage of coastal, estuary/ flood-plain landscapes and peoples, so that a) we raise awareness of its value to help tackle rising sea levels b) preserve knowledge & rescue/move heritage artefacts. Help these communities face the threat to their homes and livelihoods by a) using cultural & creative means to help them understand the science/engineering behind coastal defence & climate change mitigation so that they can be active citizens and b) so that they are psychologically prepared to deal with change, loss and possible need to move home & business. Contribute to imaginative coastal defence and coastal living schemes, accessing science & cultural heritage knowledge & contemporary art/design thinking When planning new coastal/estuary cultural developments, build coastal defence into architectural & landscaping plans if the area is protected enough from erosion/flood to be a sustainable proposal Help communities learn about resilient and sustainable crops and about new approaches to food production such as permaculture. Contribute to seed and plant heritage projects. Develop the skills and capacities in communities to grow their own food in gardens and allotments. Reduce food waste and help people cope with food rationing by raising awareness of good nutrition, storage and cooking practices. Expose the connections between biodiversity/ecosystem destruction and climate change.
Explore the experiences of people where such diseases are more common and threatening. Design creative ways of resisting insect-borne diseases.
Help people understand interdependencies in ecosystems. Help people grasp the fragility of ecosystems by exploring how they have changed and collapsed in the past. Learn about the experience of people living in or escaping from deserts, especially recent deserts such as in China. Raise awareness of the vital contribution of forests and phytoplankton in ‘sinking’ carbon. Take part in schemes to reduce the destruction of forests and plant new ones, and marine conservation etc. Take part in schemes to record lost and changing landscapes and species.
More crowded living spaces [Note, due to loss of liveable human habitats > migration]
• • • •
More coexistence of cultures and languages in habitable areas
• • •
A more nomadic lifestyle for many of us
More competition for food and goods
• •
• •
A greater gap between rich and poor
• • •
Encourage debate about population growth. Learn from the past ways to design new solutions for living more densely in cities. Work with rural communities to adapt to influx of new developments and different people. Explore ways of sharing rather than defending private and ‘tribal’ space. Learn about and invent ways that diverse cultures have exchanged and lived harmoniously together. Support work to record artefacts, knowledge and language as they are lost, fragmented or adapted into new communities. Ensure that museums/cultural centres can adapt collections & programmes to increasing cultural diversity. Develop aptitudes of flexibility, tolerance of others and practical living skills. Make cultural resources available digitally and support digital inclusion initiatives so that content can be accessed by anyone anywhere. Develop ‘positive deviancy’, or ‘imaginative resourcefulness’ - to thrive with less. Encourage collaborative approaches for sharing food and goods. Use cultural resources to explore alternative economic systems. Use material culture from the past to understand the negative effects of excessive materialism. Use cultural heritage organisations as a base for philanthropy and social exchange schemes, to help narrow the gap.
A shorter life expectancy
• •
Understand, and take responsibility for personal health. See above on contributing to solutions to increased diseases & food shortages.
A shift of public resources away from inessentials
•
Find ways to help people make their own culture and enjoyment. Explore ways that public cultural resources can be used more efficiently, can share & reuse infrastructure, reduce new buildings & new initiatives that become money drains Explore how green infrastructure can save money.
• •
Fundamental conflicts between those who respond with decadence and those with authoritarian moral stances
•
Greatly increased threats of nuclear war and terrorism.
•
• •
•
Work with cultural & creative mediators to help people avoid fixing into extreme positions of either indulgence or repression of liberal values. Promote an approach to education and problem-solving that is based on dialogue, enquiry and pragmatism. Provide spaces for people from diverse backgrounds to share views on ethics in a changing situation. Sensitively explore the experiences and outcomes of nuclear and terrorist attacks. Use cultural diplomacy and other initiatives to promote international peace.
3.2
Local risks
The risks to the UK have been identified and visualised by the UK Climate Projections team in DEFRA. Most of these projections are based on a medium emissions scenario, which is by no means the worst case scenario but is worse than the World Stabilisation Scenario required to put climate disruption into slow reverse. These effects include: • Warmer summers (mean 4.5 degrees C warmer by the 2080s) • Greater risk of flash floods • Sea level rises, especially affecting Southern England Apart from the global risks identified above, it is likely that the main risk to UK culture and heritage is related to water, including too little of it: • Subsidence from drought causing damage to buildings and infrastructure • Fires in forests and on heathland affecting biodiversity and cultural heritage in landscape ...and too much of it: • Coastal erosion from increased wave height and more severe storms • Tidal flooding • Fluvial flooding • Flash floods from heavy rainfall on dry ground. The UKCP09 maps show how many thousands of listed buildings and heritage attractions are located in flood risk areas. Apart from the suggestions on how to tackle to the global scenario, organisations in the UK need to address these risks by: • Working closely with the Environment Agency, regional panels on climate adaption and local authorities on reducing risks to infrastructure • Using cultural heritage to raise awareness of its value to the public and biodiversity, to encourage mitigation and adaptation investment in communities at risk • Take efforts seriously to reduce emissions and adapt buildings to reduce your vulnerability from extreme events.
4
Resources
http://ukcp09.defra.gov.uk/content/view/6/6 http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/publications/lc_trans_plan/lc_trans_plan.aspx http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/DCMS_SDActionPlan_07.pdf http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/6003.aspx/ http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/199.htm http://globalfloodmap.org/ http://www.greenermuseums.org/ http://ecoch.wordpress.com http://www.rsaartsandecology.org.uk/home http://australianmuseum.net.au/Climate-Change/ http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/climatechange/ http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl/w-countryside_environment/wclimate_change.htm http://www.climatechangeandyourhome.org.uk/live/ http://envirodigital.wordpress.com/about/
Overview and principles
This framework aims to help cultural and heritage organisations think broadly: - about the risks of climate change for their own future and - how they can make a contribution to tackle ‘global climatic disruption’1 It may be most useful for museums, galleries, archives, libraries and heritage bodies but it contains much of relevance to related sectors2. It is an articulation of the principles of Flow Associates to underpin our work with clients, alongside two other papers on Cultural Service Design and Creative Enquiry as a Learning Approach. We are sharing it because we hope it will be of some wider use in a context of crisis. If you want to share any resources, or discuss and improve this framework, please contact [email protected] To succeed in implementing this framework, organisations will need to consider some principles, adapting them as relevant: •
However local our remit, we accept a global responsibility and perspective.
•
The survival of our own organisation as it is, is only important so that we can contribute to wider social and global challenges.
•
Sustainability is not about the survival of every initiative but the evolution of our services to meet environmental, cultural and educational needs as they change.
•
It is essential that we collaborate with other bodies to share knowledge and resources.
•
We need to make our assets even more accessible to aid urgent and pragmatic learning from them. This may involve increasing digital access to our culture and knowledge.
•
We should not delay in reducing greenhouse gas emissions across our operations, as this is only a first step.
•
We must model and enable imaginative thinking and practice, working optimistically and generously with creative people and ideas.
•
We must aim to think systemically to deal with the complexity of the situation, so that we can continually reassess our priorities.
1 Used by John Holdren, President Obama’s advisor on environmental policy, as a replacement for the term climate change. It conveys more accurately the unpredictable, dangerous and global nature of the situation. 2 The framework is conceived for the UK, especially England where culture is governed by Department for Culture, Media & Sport whose ‘family’ also includes media & broadcast, sport, tourism & the creative industries.
2
Action spreads through three levels
2.1
Generic to all public & commercial organisations
The twin challenges for any organisation are the mitigation of risk and adapting to change:
2.2
Generic to all bodies with a public engagement mission
Public service broadcasters, arts agencies, science or design bodies, should consider how both their operations and their mission can help us mitigate and adapt to climate change:
2.3
Generic to all cultural and heritage bodies
3
Contributions by cultural heritage organisations
3.1
Global risk
All in this sector have missions to sustain cultural activity, to preserve heritage in perpetuity and to help people cope with change and prepare for challenge.
The effects of climate disruption on a single country must be understood in a global context. The UK’s economy is reliant on other countries for its food supply and industrial production. Also, loss of liveable land worldwide will place much greater pressures on the UK from migration, aid responsibilities and an increased threat of terrorism and war. These factors, resulting in a severe economic downturn and food shortage, will significantly outweigh the risks of extreme local weather or tidal events for the UK culture & heritage sectors. Culture and heritage will not be seen as a priority in these circumstances although there is much evidence from the past that communities which maintain strong cultural participation are more resilient and creative in crises. The most positive approach is to demonstrate the value of cultural heritage in tackling this crisis rather than seeking to preserve our notions and practices which have evolved in a context of affluence and leisure. This chart lists the climate change risks identified by the 4th Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007 and it suggests some contributions the sector can make to mitigate or adapt to them. It may be helpful to identify these actions as opportunities. Note that the 4th Panel was based on science conducted up to 2005. Models since then, for example by MIT in 2009, identify greater risks as polar ice is melting much faster than predicted. IPPC’s risks posed by climate change
Cultural & heritage organisations can aid work to:
Danger to up to 118 million people losing their communities to the sea (and new models suggest the risk is faced by 600 million)
• • •
•
• •
Risk of famine due to the threatening of crops through aridity, flood, altered growth cycles and pests [Note, this is combined with loss of biodiversity caused by factors other than climate change]
•
A large increase in the range of diseases such as malaria
•
Ecosystem changes, in particular a growth of deserts and a reduction of forests. [Note, this destruction is both directly human-caused e.g. logging & plastic pollution of seas & a consequence of climate change e.g. forest fires, hurricane damage]
• •
• • • •
•
• • • •
Explore the experience of people in places such as Bangladesh or Egypt, to understand the impact of severe flooding. Describe and promote engineering & ecosystem solutions e.g. the Delta Project to enable people to learn and adapt them. Record and interpret the threatened heritage of coastal, estuary/ flood-plain landscapes and peoples, so that a) we raise awareness of its value to help tackle rising sea levels b) preserve knowledge & rescue/move heritage artefacts. Help these communities face the threat to their homes and livelihoods by a) using cultural & creative means to help them understand the science/engineering behind coastal defence & climate change mitigation so that they can be active citizens and b) so that they are psychologically prepared to deal with change, loss and possible need to move home & business. Contribute to imaginative coastal defence and coastal living schemes, accessing science & cultural heritage knowledge & contemporary art/design thinking When planning new coastal/estuary cultural developments, build coastal defence into architectural & landscaping plans if the area is protected enough from erosion/flood to be a sustainable proposal Help communities learn about resilient and sustainable crops and about new approaches to food production such as permaculture. Contribute to seed and plant heritage projects. Develop the skills and capacities in communities to grow their own food in gardens and allotments. Reduce food waste and help people cope with food rationing by raising awareness of good nutrition, storage and cooking practices. Expose the connections between biodiversity/ecosystem destruction and climate change.
Explore the experiences of people where such diseases are more common and threatening. Design creative ways of resisting insect-borne diseases.
Help people understand interdependencies in ecosystems. Help people grasp the fragility of ecosystems by exploring how they have changed and collapsed in the past. Learn about the experience of people living in or escaping from deserts, especially recent deserts such as in China. Raise awareness of the vital contribution of forests and phytoplankton in ‘sinking’ carbon. Take part in schemes to reduce the destruction of forests and plant new ones, and marine conservation etc. Take part in schemes to record lost and changing landscapes and species.
More crowded living spaces [Note, due to loss of liveable human habitats > migration]
• • • •
More coexistence of cultures and languages in habitable areas
• • •
A more nomadic lifestyle for many of us
More competition for food and goods
• •
• •
A greater gap between rich and poor
• • •
Encourage debate about population growth. Learn from the past ways to design new solutions for living more densely in cities. Work with rural communities to adapt to influx of new developments and different people. Explore ways of sharing rather than defending private and ‘tribal’ space. Learn about and invent ways that diverse cultures have exchanged and lived harmoniously together. Support work to record artefacts, knowledge and language as they are lost, fragmented or adapted into new communities. Ensure that museums/cultural centres can adapt collections & programmes to increasing cultural diversity. Develop aptitudes of flexibility, tolerance of others and practical living skills. Make cultural resources available digitally and support digital inclusion initiatives so that content can be accessed by anyone anywhere. Develop ‘positive deviancy’, or ‘imaginative resourcefulness’ - to thrive with less. Encourage collaborative approaches for sharing food and goods. Use cultural resources to explore alternative economic systems. Use material culture from the past to understand the negative effects of excessive materialism. Use cultural heritage organisations as a base for philanthropy and social exchange schemes, to help narrow the gap.
A shorter life expectancy
• •
Understand, and take responsibility for personal health. See above on contributing to solutions to increased diseases & food shortages.
A shift of public resources away from inessentials
•
Find ways to help people make their own culture and enjoyment. Explore ways that public cultural resources can be used more efficiently, can share & reuse infrastructure, reduce new buildings & new initiatives that become money drains Explore how green infrastructure can save money.
• •
Fundamental conflicts between those who respond with decadence and those with authoritarian moral stances
•
Greatly increased threats of nuclear war and terrorism.
•
• •
•
Work with cultural & creative mediators to help people avoid fixing into extreme positions of either indulgence or repression of liberal values. Promote an approach to education and problem-solving that is based on dialogue, enquiry and pragmatism. Provide spaces for people from diverse backgrounds to share views on ethics in a changing situation. Sensitively explore the experiences and outcomes of nuclear and terrorist attacks. Use cultural diplomacy and other initiatives to promote international peace.
3.2
Local risks
The risks to the UK have been identified and visualised by the UK Climate Projections team in DEFRA. Most of these projections are based on a medium emissions scenario, which is by no means the worst case scenario but is worse than the World Stabilisation Scenario required to put climate disruption into slow reverse. These effects include: • Warmer summers (mean 4.5 degrees C warmer by the 2080s) • Greater risk of flash floods • Sea level rises, especially affecting Southern England Apart from the global risks identified above, it is likely that the main risk to UK culture and heritage is related to water, including too little of it: • Subsidence from drought causing damage to buildings and infrastructure • Fires in forests and on heathland affecting biodiversity and cultural heritage in landscape ...and too much of it: • Coastal erosion from increased wave height and more severe storms • Tidal flooding • Fluvial flooding • Flash floods from heavy rainfall on dry ground. The UKCP09 maps show how many thousands of listed buildings and heritage attractions are located in flood risk areas. Apart from the suggestions on how to tackle to the global scenario, organisations in the UK need to address these risks by: • Working closely with the Environment Agency, regional panels on climate adaption and local authorities on reducing risks to infrastructure • Using cultural heritage to raise awareness of its value to the public and biodiversity, to encourage mitigation and adaptation investment in communities at risk • Take efforts seriously to reduce emissions and adapt buildings to reduce your vulnerability from extreme events.
4
Resources
http://ukcp09.defra.gov.uk/content/view/6/6 http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/publications/lc_trans_plan/lc_trans_plan.aspx http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/DCMS_SDActionPlan_07.pdf http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/6003.aspx/ http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/199.htm http://globalfloodmap.org/ http://www.greenermuseums.org/ http://ecoch.wordpress.com http://www.rsaartsandecology.org.uk/home http://australianmuseum.net.au/Climate-Change/ http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/climatechange/ http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl/w-countryside_environment/wclimate_change.htm http://www.climatechangeandyourhome.org.uk/live/ http://envirodigital.wordpress.com/about/
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