We are writing this piece out of serious concern and idealism. In 2022 it is evident that the climate crisis is a fundamental threat to our world, with unprecedented consequences for humanity and the planet. The realization is growing that this many-headed monster can only be fought with a systemic approach.
Governments, businesses and consumers are responding far too slowly or even delaying real change and the achievement of the Paris climate goals for a variety of reasons.
About the authors
Maurice Seleky is head of communication & marketing and MT member at the Amsterdam Museum. Chris Julien is a researcher at Waag, a PhD student at Utrecht University and active at Extinction Rebellion. Maarten Bul is program leader and MT member at the Cultural Participation Fund. The three write this piece in a personal capacity.
Things can be different: if every sector in society takes its responsibility. The cultural/creative sector also has to work. In addition to reducing its own ecological footprint, this sector has the potential and the social responsibility to use the transformative power of imagination and stories to move people and change behavior. By showing good examples and setting a good example yourself. If we take full advantage of this sector’s clout to reinvent both our physical infrastructure and our way of life, social tipping points beckon and a livable future is possible.
Tubing
A lot is already happening in the sector. For example, the Hermitage Amsterdam and the Hortus Botanicus have been sharing their heat and cold storage since 2016 through an underground pipe system. This saves both institutions a lot on energy.
In the festival world, DGTL (known for the Amsterdam Dance Event) works with a ‘circular zero-wasteprinciple, whereby all waste can be reused. Artist Lucas De Man works together with construction companies and designers to explore the possibilities of bio-based making building materials tangible in installations. Together with the creative agency Vandejong, the Scheepvaartmuseum has developed a toolkit for sustainable exhibitions.
And theater makers Anouk Nuyens and Rebekka de Wit made with their project The Shell case (performance and film) the tangle of the climate issue visible to a wide audience. There are many more examples to mention.
Structural approach
But given the size of the climate issue, it is necessary to make a structural approach to these positive initiatives. And in order to arrive at a structural approach, the sector will have to organize itself on the basis of a common framework. That is why we advocate the establishment of the Culture, Climate & Environment Code, a new instrument to enable the cultural sector to fully contribute to a social shift in view of the climate crisis.
Such a code can become a flywheel for sector-wide change if, just like the existing Fair Practice Code, the Code Governance Culture and the Code Diversity & Inclusion, it is used by subsidisers and funds as a subsidy condition. In addition to the moral one, a financial impulse is also given to change; together this provides a leverage effect.
Julie’s Bicycle
The new code should provide tools for cultural organizations to reduce their ecological footprint, for example with the tools of Julie’s Bicycle, an NGO in the United Kingdom that mobilizes the British creative industry and the arts to combat the climate crisis. In addition, the code must be clear about the extent to which the subsidized part of the sector should relate substantively to this social issue. While such guidelines are at odds with the sector’s autonomy, on a dead planet there is no art. A code – if developed in co-creation – can lead to consensus in the sector.
Time is of the essence, so the new code must be drawn up quickly, whereby a process of cooperation with social partners, such as environmental organizations and universities, is an obvious choice. The New Institute could be a pioneer; As a sector institute for design, this organization pays explicit attention to polyphony, including a social and ecological perspective.
Subsidy condition
The institute should monitor progress with the code. State Secretary Gunay Uslu (Culture and Media) could support the process with funding and should include the code as a subsidy condition in the national cultural policy.
We firmly believe that a well-developed and widely implemented Culture, Climate & Environment Code helps the worlds of art, culture and creation to fulfill their role in the most urgent issue of our time. That role is one of social innovation and creativity in the service of the arts, but also in the service of society and a viable future.