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Culture in the 2030 Agenda
Climate change has its own dedicated goal in the Sustainable Development Agenda – Goal 13 on Climate Action, which covers aspects such as strengthening resilience, adaptation to climate change and awareness-raising. Culture contributes to all of these facets. Several countries in their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) - submitted to the United Nations to monitor progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals - have highlighted the explicit linkages between their cultural and climate change policies. Approaches include enshrining the protection of natural heritage in legal frameworks as part of strategies to tackle climate change, recognising the vital importance of respecting natural and cultural heritage in urban development policies, and harnessing traditional knowledge and natural resources for community resilience.
Urban Planning, Culture and Climate Change Resilience
As part of its overall strategy to bolster resilience to climate change and improve human habitation, Benin has adopted an Operation and Resilient Plan for the Coastal Strip of Benin, which explicitly recognises the natural and cultural value of this coastline. The plan aims to implement a management strategy that protects the coast from frequent floods and erosion - exacerbated by climate change - as well as protect biodiversity. Furthermore, an objective of the plan is to bolster ecotourism. An initiative in Saudi Arabia, which is also vulnerable to climate change, aims to better manage freshwater resources in the valley around the capital, Riyadh. The Wadi Hanifa Comprehensive Plan plans to establish a better balance between the needs of the city and the environment. It also aims to better preserve historical and heritage sites which were under threat due to over-exploitation of the water. Other urban planning initiatives in the Seychelles aim to preserve the country’s natural and cultural heritage from the increase in disasters exacerbated by climate change, including the Victoria Masterplan whose objective is to make the capital a sustainable city. In Ireland, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is drafting a climate change adaptation plan for the heritage sector and has already published guidance on enhancing the energetic efficiency of traditional buildings and on adaptation and reuse of historic built heritage.
Harnessing Traditional Knowledge and Natural Resources
The New Zealand government has reformed the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act of 1991 to adequately safeguard indigenous Maori cultural interests and stewardship of natural resources, which are under increasing pressure due to climate change. In Australia, indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are using traditional knowledge and practices with scientific approaches to undertake Emissions Reduction Fund projects in the north of the country to preserve natural environments from the effects of climate change. Meanwhile, Ecuador has launched an initiative called Regreening the Country to reverse deforestation, preserving its natural heritage and contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Kyrgyzstan recognizes the value of traditional knowledge, particularly that of women in rural areas, for the cultivation of traditional crops, medicinal plants and measures to adapt to climate change. As such, it is taking steps to implement the UN Nagoya Protocol which aims to harness traditional knowledge links with genetic resources. Venezuela also aims to defend cultural and biological diversity as part of its strategy to address its vulnerability to climate change, under its National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity. Through its annual Congress on Biodiversity, the government reports that it has strengthened efforts to promote the use of traditional crops from indigenous and afro-descendent people to bolster community agricultural practices.
Putting Natural Heritage and Creativity at the Heart of Strategies
In relation to SDG 13, ʴǰٳܲ’s 2017 VNR highlights that its Constitution recognizes the right to a healthy living environment and to an ecologically-balanced sustainable development. In addition to promoting the principle of solidarity between generations and boosting education on the environment, the State also has the responsibility for “the protection and enhancement of the landscape and ensure nature conservation and preservation of cultural values of historic and artistic interest”. 貹’s 2018 VNR cites its “great natural heritage” and highlights a 2003 law on mountain landscapes that aims to improve the management of upland areas, partly to adapt to climate change. It also cites a 2007 law on natural heritage and biodiversity, which establishes mechanisms for data collection and the management of valuable natural environments. ҳܲⲹԲ’s vision for sustainable development is enshrined in its Green State Development Strategy-Vision 2040 which includes a strong focus on climate change mitigation. Its 2019 VNR states that for decades Ecuador has recognised its environment and ecosystems as a key feature of its natural heritage and states that many initiatives are being deployed to safeguard and sustainably manage this natural heritage. Meanwhile, North Macedonia's 2020 VNR cites plans to implement projects – with the support of the UN Green Climate Fund - to tackle climate change, including projects in the cultural heritage sector. Finally, Austria highlights its initiatives using art and culture to contribute to the SDGs, including tackling climate change.
