The next steps in our commitment to Environmental Responsibility

This week the eyes of the world have been fixed on Glasgow for the UN Climate Change Conference - COP26. World leaders, ministers, diplomats, and other key figures from around 200 countries are meeting there to talk about the very real and immediate crisis we all face from climate change. The hope of the conference is “uniting the world to tackle climate change” and agreement on what action to take is considered crucial.

At the Arts Council we know that creativity and culture has the power to make you stop and think, help improve lives and shape conversations. We believe that includes the vital issues of climate change and the environment. That’s why a decade ago we became the first cultural organisation in the world to make environmental action part of our funding conditions. Over that time we’ve worked closely with our environmental partner Julie’s Bicycle to mobilise the creative and cultural sector to act. We’ve continued that commitment in our ten-year strategy Let’s Create by making Environmental Responsibility one of our Investment Principles.  

Today I am proud to share the first stage of our environmental policy and action plan – Our Environmental Responsibility: From Understanding to Action. Developed with support from Julie’s Bicycle, it summarises our environmental impacts and carbon footprint and what we’ve been doing to change over the last couple of years. It also looks forward - laying out a new set of environmental commitments, targets and priorities for the next few years.  

This isn’t the only way we’re showing our commitment. We’re also investing £350,000 in Julie’s Bicycle’s Creative Green Tools. They’ll help cultural organisations better understand how their actions impact on climate change – what’s called carbon literacy. It’ll also help them better report and forecast their own environmental data. And give them support to look at how they can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide their activities release into the atmosphere, while balancing any remaining emissions – creating what are called Net Zero Carbon Pathways.  

We’ve also just renewed our partnership with Forestry England which will see ambitious contemporary artworks from established and new artists brought to forests across the country. The pieces will focus on themes of biodiversity, climate, peoples’ connection to nature, mental health and wellbeing. 

We’re looking at how touring productions impact on the environment too. We are working with the Danish Arts Foundation to provide funding and training to a transnational cohort that will be looking at how to make international collaborations more sustainable. We’ve also invested in research at Nesta, the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) at the University of Plymouth. This research will feed into the already excellent work of the Theatre Green Book. 

Through our National Lottery Project Grants programme we’ve funded some amazing work that shows the growing appetite among artists and cultural organisations to use their work to respond to the climate crisis. Led by Arts Admin and our environmental partner, Season for Change saw 15 new cross-artform works and projects commissioned. It also invited all artists and cultural organisations to host events or create artworks. Roots and Branches led by Manchester Museum with Museum Development North West and the Carbon Literacy Trust brings together museum staff, educators, artists, and others to help build an environmentally active and aware museums sector. Meanwhile, Tongue Fu, the spoken word and music collective, created Hot Poets. It brought together artists, scientists, campaigners and charities to tell hopeful stories of what was being done in the fight against climate change.  

There’s always a place for hope.  

Speaking at COP26 the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough said that in his lifetime he had witnessed a “terrible decline” in the world’s environment. But he hoped that within another lifetime we “could and should witness a wonderful recovery.” 

I believe the Arts Council, as the development agency for creativity and culture in England, has a vital role in helping the artists, performers, arts organisations, museums and libraries we fund continue to play their part in meeting that challenge.