Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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
bridget.mckenzie@flowassociates.com
• 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.
• 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 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
The twin challenges for any organisation are the mitigation of risk and adapting to
change:
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:
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 Cultural & heritage organisations can aid work to:
by climate change
Danger to up to 118 • Explore the experience of people in places such as Bangladesh or
million people Egypt, to understand the impact of severe flooding.
losing their • Describe and promote engineering & ecosystem solutions e.g. the
communities to the Delta Project to enable people to learn and adapt them.
sea (and new
• Record and interpret the threatened heritage of coastal, estuary/
models suggest the
flood-plain landscapes and peoples, so that a) we raise awareness
risk is faced by 600
of its value to help tackle rising sea levels b) preserve knowledge &
million)
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
Risk of famine due • Help communities learn about resilient and sustainable crops and
to the threatening about new approaches to food production such as permaculture.
of crops through • Contribute to seed and plant heritage projects.
aridity, flood,
• Develop the skills and capacities in communities to grow their own
altered growth
food in gardens and allotments.
cycles and pests
[Note, this is • Reduce food waste and help people cope with food rationing by
combined with loss of raising awareness of good nutrition, storage and cooking practices.
biodiversity caused by • Expose the connections between biodiversity/ecosystem
factors other than destruction and climate change.
climate change]
A large increase in • Explore the experiences of people where such diseases are more
the range of common and threatening.
diseases such as • Design creative ways of resisting insect-borne diseases.
malaria
More coexistence of • Learn about and invent ways that diverse cultures have
cultures and exchanged and lived harmoniously together.
languages in • Support work to record artefacts, knowledge and language as they
habitable areas are lost, fragmented or adapted into new communities.
• Ensure that museums/cultural centres can adapt collections &
programmes to increasing cultural diversity.
A shift of public • Find ways to help people make their own culture and enjoyment.
resources away • Explore ways that public cultural resources can be used more
from inessentials efficiently, can share & reuse infrastructure, reduce new buildings
& new initiatives that become money drains
• Explore how green infrastructure can save money.
Fundamental • Work with cultural & creative mediators to help people avoid fixing
conflicts between into extreme positions of either indulgence or repression of liberal
those who respond values.
with decadence and • Promote an approach to education and problem-solving that is
those with based on dialogue, enquiry and pragmatism.
authoritarian moral
• Provide spaces for people from diverse backgrounds to share views
stances
on ethics in a changing situation.
Greatly increased • Sensitively explore the experiences and outcomes of nuclear and
threats of nuclear terrorist attacks.
war and terrorism. • 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.
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/w-
climate_change.htm
http://www.climatechangeandyourhome.org.uk/live/
http://envirodigital.wordpress.com/about/