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Climate change poses imminent risks to the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
Floods, fires, and droughts not only endanger material and natural heritage but also pose substantial risks to intangible heritage, including knowledge and practices related to the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources, as well as ways of coping with climate extremes.
Rising sea levels will exacerbate the loss and damage to several iconic historic sites and cities, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of millions.
The sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) leaves no room for doubt: our planet is warming at an alarming rate, with consequences that threaten not only our natural environment but also our cultural heritage.
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A renewed commitment to the protection of people and planet has the potential to help direct climate action and support the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient future.
A better understanding of the role of culture in responding to our global challenges like the climate emergency is a necessary component to developing responses and finding solutions.
Further, raising awareness of the impacts that climate change may have on our shared cultural heritage and all that we might lose if we do not act on the scale required may strengthen public and political support for increased climate action.
Deeply embedded in our societies and nearly all aspects of how we view and relate to the world, cultural heritage shapes our individual and collective identities.
Current international agreements regarding climate change require that we make bold and transformative change. In looking forward to a sustainable future that celebrates diversity and our wide mosaic of cultural identities, it is paramount that cultural heritage helps inform this transformative change.
By integrating cultural perspectives and heritage into these strategies, we can develop inclusive, community-centred solutions that lead to lasting, effective responses to the climate challenge.
With twin global crises, technological disruption, and the climate emergency, cultural heritage is being approached as a strong vehicle for launching climate action and social change.
This fact is particularly resonant in Kenya, where the creative industry not only exists as an innovative environment, but it is also strongly reliant on the community and its traditions.
The UK/Kenya Season 2025 is supporting the development of new work and is bringing together voices from Kenya, the UK and the wider British Council network to explore ideas at the intersection of innovation, indigenous knowledge, youth voice and the climate crisis.
Across all our work, we are supporting community-led action that will preserve, protect and share Kenya’s cultural heritage; expand our conversations on sustainability in the fashion sector, while sharing knowledge, insight and experiences from creatives from Kenya and the UK across the arts.
This Season will showcase a broad range of collaborations across various art forms, including music, literature, visual arts, architecture, design, film, and performance. We will work with creatives, thought leaders, and audiences from Kenya, England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland.
At the same time, the creative industry is reflecting on its role in protecting people and planet. As a result, we are seeing more interventions such as green cinema and sustainable design, setting high standards in the industry.
Whether through production practices or substances employed, there is a greater focus on environmental friendliness, alongside the ability to produce quality artistic work.
Stakeholders in the fashion industry are drawing from traditional techniques to dye their fabrics, others are developing new materials and blends while reimagining what our relationship can be with waste by experimenting.
This has led to increased use of fish leather, pineapple leather and alternative fibres that speak both to the climate emergency and the place of indigenous knowledge.
All these developments are collectively democratizing the climate discourse. They give the artists and audiences worldwide the power to work together, create and engage in creative projects and reframe their practice in ways that prioritise our relationship with the planet and people.
We are excited about the ways this season will ignite the movement of people and ideas through the collaborations fostered and the showcases supported that will both transform the artists engaged in the work and inspire audiences.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Pulse as its publisher.