The Ministry of Culture launches the first national study on the role of culture in climate action
ABU DHABI, 2nd February, 2018 (WAM) – The Ministry of Culture announced the results of its pioneering national study, “Rooted in Resilience: How Culture Shapes Climate Resilience in the UAE,” which was prepared by the Ministry in partnership with the British Council.
The announcement of the study came during the Ministry’s participation in a high-level discussion session in cooperation with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, in the presence of an elite group of stakeholders and stakeholders from the cultural and climate sectors.
Her Excellency Shatha Al-Mulla, Assistant Undersecretary for the National Identity and Arts Sector, stressed during the session that culture plays an important role in climate action, although this role has not received the necessary and sufficient attention to date, despite the great potential that the cultural sector possesses to contribute to creating effective change.
She said: Our efforts today focus on integrating culture more effectively and systematically into national strategies for climate action, in a way that ensures mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, building resilience, and addressing non-economic losses and damages, especially in light of the UAE’s ancient cultural heritage and growing creative sector, and our established partnership with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
She added: Culture-based climate action is one of the most prominent outcomes of the COP28 Conference of the Parties, which was hosted by the UAE, as it contributed to highlighting the role of cultural heritage as an indicator of progress towards the global goal of adaptation. The year 2023 also witnessed the establishment of the Group of Friends of Culture-based Climate Action, an informal alliance led by the UAE and Brazil, which aims to enhance the integration of culture into climate change policies within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. From this standpoint, the study represents a strategic step to support the UAE’s efforts to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, while enhancing the presence of the cultural dimension within the nationally determined contributions and national adaptation plans.
This reference study is the first of its kind that systematically monitors the contribution of the cultural sector to reducing the impact of climate change and adapting to it in the UAE. It sheds light on the vibrant and innovative cultural scene in the UAE, which reflects the diversity of efforts made by cultural institutions and cultural heritage institutions through pioneering initiatives that confirm the ability of the cultural sector to contribute effectively to the transition towards a more sustainable future.
It also stressed the need to enhance coordination, capacity building, and policy harmonization, enabling the full potential of culture to be activated within the climate action system.
The most prominent results of the study indicated that culturally based climate action is present but lacks coordination, as 76% of participants reported their involvement in activities related to climate action, but only 20% have a clear institutional definition of the nature of this work or the skills required to implement it effectively.
She pointed out that traditional knowledge is threatened with extinction, as heritage practices, such as Aflaj systems and local architecture, face the risk of extinction as a result of the accelerating pace of urban development and the decline in the transfer of knowledge between generations.
She stated that interaction at the policy level exists but is fragmented, as the study showed the cultural sector’s inclusion in the third version of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) and climate neutrality frameworks, but implementation and coordination mechanisms among concerned parties are still limited.
She pointed to weak capabilities, comprehensiveness, and measurement indicators, as only 31% of institutions monitor the results of culture-based climate action, beyond indicators of public participation, while the categories of youth, residents, and community practitioners are still limited.
She emphasized that the cultural sector is an effective driver of behavioral change, as she highlighted the role played by cultural events, such as festivals, exhibitions, and theatrical and musical initiatives, in enhancing awareness of sustainability, through inspiring models and experiences that are close to the public.
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