More than a decade after ACE launched its environmental policy, no comparable sector-wide, systematic response to the climate crisis has emerged elsewhere, and the United Kingdom remains a unique example of the way cultural stakeholders’ early adoption of environmental sustainability as a core principle leads to advanced ecological transition.
This success is closely tied to the United Kingdom’s leadership in climate policy, exemplified by the groundbreaking Climate Change Act of 2008. Passed with overwhelming cross-party support, the Act established a comprehensive legal framework for emissions reduction, mandating the government to develop and implement cross-sectoral policies to meet binding targets. Informed by climate science and research into the economic impacts of climate change, the Act institutionalized the urgency of the climate crisis and has since been recognized as a model for similar legislation worldwide.
The Act’s implementation fostered a dynamic interaction between overarching and sector-specific policies. Prominent cultural institutions and arts leaders engaged in consultations with ACE, emphasizing the cultural sector’s role in the ecological transition. These discussions enabled ACE to assume environmental leadership and co-design a sector-specific policy framework aligned with the nation’s climate ambitions.
Global Context: Cultural Climate Policy Lagging Behind
More than a decade after the launch of ACE’s pioneering model, global progress on embedding climate action into cultural policy remains limited. A 2021 international survey commissioned by the British Council revealed that few national cultural bodies have actively engaged with the climate crisis. While many cultural policies reference broad sustainability issues (e.g., heritage, cultural rights, sustainable development), they rarely address climate or environmental concerns directly.
The report noted that the global creative community has embraced environmental action across local, sectoral, and national levels, often merging climate, nature, and justice with cultural rights and access. However, much of this work has been led by grassroots initiatives or individual pioneers, with national cultural policies lagging behind. Respondents identified key barriers, including insufficient financial resources, expertise, and legal mandates, as well as weak linkages between culture and climate government departments or national climate strategies (where such strategies exist).
Rising Interest and the Influence of the European Green Deal
Interest in the climate emergency surged dramatically in 2019, driven largely by the increasing frequency and severity of extreme climate events. This urgency was further amplified by Greta Thunberg and the global student climate movement, which brought the crisis to the forefront of public discourse, capturing widespread public attention and influencing policymakers. In Europe, a pivotal moment came with the adoption of the European Green Deal in 2020—an ambitious strategy aimed at making the European Union climate-neutral by 2050.
Designed to be implemented across European Union member states and integrated into all sectors of the economy and society, the European Green Deal’s broad framework quickly extended to European Union cultural policies—mirroring the United Kingdom’s example, where the presence of a robust, legally binding national climate policy appears to have been crucial in fostering meaningful cultural climate action. The European Green Deal prompted a realignment of priorities, which took shape in the European Union Parliament’s resolution to “green” the Creative Europe program, the European Commission’s flagship initiative supporting cultural and audiovisual sectors. The program was revised to reflect the broader acknowledgement that “culture plays a fundamental role in the green transition” because of the ways in which cultural content and activities can contribute to shaping values and behavior, but also in order to underline that “cultural and creative organizations can adopt and promote greener practices—in processes related to the creation, production, exploitation and distribution of content, the management of buildings, venues and events, and the mobility of artists and culture professionals, as well as audiences.” In line with the European Union’s climate commitments, “green” criteria were introduced into funding calls, making sustainability a key factor in evaluating project proposals. All actions under Creative Europe are now expected to actively contribute to addressing the climate emergency.
These cultural actors, through their frequent collaboration with international counterparts, have helped strengthen a growing global trend that positions the arts and culture as central, active contributors to addressing the climate and environmental crisis.
Although cultural policy remains a sovereign matter for member states, European Union policy frameworks have significantly influenced priorities and trends across the bloc’s creative industries. The integration of the European Green Deal into European Union-level cultural policymaking has had a transformative impact, not only by affecting those receiving Creative Europe funding but also by driving broader changes throughout the cultural sector within the European Union and beyond.
This shift has, on one hand, inspired a wave of sectoral responses, particularly from representative organizations such as networks, coalitions, and professional associations. These cultural actors, through their frequent collaboration with international counterparts, have helped strengthen a growing global trend that positions the arts and culture as central, active contributors to addressing the climate and environmental crisis. Today, many major international cultural organizations have actively embraced environmental sustainability, often leading the way by developing intra-sectoral policies and guidelines for their members—frequently ahead of national legislation—while committing to global climate goals. Notable examples include the Gallery Climate Coalition, International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM), the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the International Music Council, International Theatre Institute (ITI), the Network of European Museum Associations, mitos21-European Theatre Network, European Theatre Convention, International Association for Theatre and Performing Arts for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ), European Network on Cultural Management and Policy (ENCATC), On the Move, the Producers’ Guild of America, and European Union of National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC), among many others.
On the other hand, the topic of environmental sustainability is inevitably gaining traction among national cultural authorities through the European Union’s policy-making tool, the Open Method of Coordination. An inter-ministerial working group has been tasked with aligning national cultural policy interventions to drive the green transition of the cultural and creative sectors (albeit with its mandate restricted to the level of consultation). This aligns with the priority “Culture for the Planet: Unleashing the Power of Culture,” as outlined in the European Union Work Plan for Culture 2023–2026.
