With the United Nations international climate change summit, COP25 underway in Madrid, the cultural heritage sector has been mobilized to play its part as well.  During this event, Climate Heritage Network (CHN) has launched its Action Plan to Mobilize Arts, Culture and Heritage for Climate Action. This international network was founded in 2018 with the goal of bringing together organizations that deal with art, culture and heritage to achieve the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement. 

MTBA’s Mark Thompson Brandt is a Steering Committee leader of the CHN and active participant in the initial mobilization of CHN at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco in October 2018, On behalf of the Zero Net Carbon Collaboration for Existing & Historic Buildings (ZNCC), Brandt led two key presentation sessions there and remains an active CHN Steering Committee member, helping with the development of the Plan.  For more information, click here.

This plan is based on the idea that the cultural heritage sector can effectively combat the effects of climate change by exploring new territorial management solutions and by promoting the re-use of existing buildings.  The plan is entitled ‘Madrid-to-Glasgow Arts, Culture and Heritage Climate Action Plan’ and can be found here.  Kicking off a year of culture-based climate action that will culminate in 2020 at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, the plan aims to help deliver on this result via eight scalable, culture-based climate action tools and policy solutions.

Additionally, ICOMOS Spain, ARESPA, the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Ministry of Culture will be sponsoring a session at COP25 Madrid titled ‘Cambio climático y patrimonio’ (Climate Change and Heritage).   This program will follow a session led by the Greek Government on its State Party-level initiative to focus on the need to safeguard cultural and natural heritage from the effects of climate change.  Over 70 countries have signed up thus far.

Header Image Source: Il Sole 24 Ore