Mobilising UK Cultural Heritage and Climate Change Research and Energising Brazil's Cultural Sector ahead of COP30

As The British Council asserts, the gap in research on cultural heritage is a 'missing pillar' in climate action. This project will connect policymakers, communities, artists and activists with UK Cultural Heritage and Climate Change research to demonstrate the crucial role of tangible/intangible cultural heritage within climate mitigation, action and adaptation. It aims to build UK-Brazil knowledge exchange and capacity to capitalise on a key policy moment - COP30 being held in Belém (Brazil) - energising Brazil/UK's cultural and research sectors in preparation, so they can inform the debates at COP29 (2024) and COP30 (2025). Climate-change related disasters are becoming increasingly severe and devastating and are acutely impacting Indigenous communities in the Amazon region. It is therefore crucial that Indigenous voices are centred in climate change debates and policy discussions, and that cultural heritage and its preservation are understood as critical to climate change resilience. This project responds to this need by integrating traditional knowledge, art and cultural perspectives with environmental policy strategies.
Our project has four key objectives, which we aim to achieve through a four-step strategy:
1. Highlight the contribution of research on cultural heritage and the arts within climate discussions; create resources demonstrating the vital importance of building on the connections between cultural heritage and the climate movement.
2. Forge strong, long-lasting partnerships between international cultural and climate policymakers, artists, researchers, and local leaders across Brazil.
3. Strengthen and energise connections within Brazil's cultural sector, with emphasis on those working in the Amazon region; establish collaboration and policy engagement ahead of COP30.
4. Centre Indigenous-led research perspectives in climate activism within the COP framework and broader policy rubrics.
To ensure that the arts, cultural heritage and Indigenous research have a place within the COP framework, we will ensure the involvement of our partners and team at COP29 in Baku. Sharing knowledge, learning from COP29 and engaging the academic, climate and cultural sectors in Brazil and UK, will lay the groundwork for relationship-building ahead of COP30. Collaborating with grassroots research and activism movement Amazônia de Pé/Stand Up Amazonia (AdeP), we will host a research-informed event in Bélem using cultural activities to explore and disseminate cultural heritage research and practice. This partnership with the AdeP movement, which focuses on preserving the Amazonian rainforest, ensures that our network will centre the perspectives of Indigenous people, ribeirinho (river-dwelling) and quilombola communities (descended from escapees from slavery) from Brazil. We will connect UK researchers with Brazilian artists, key stakeholders, climate activists, researchers and organisations in a series of workshops and networking events to conceptualise a cultural heritage strategy for COP30. This programme facilitates intercultural and inter-regional exchange, connecting cultural sectors and policymakers in Bélem, throughout Brazil and internationally. Alongside these events, we will co-create an accessible and informative booklet and then launch a social media campaign. By producing dynamic and bold graphics, we aim to engage a wider network of artists and capture the attention of policymakers. Currently, there are few accessible publications designed for policymakers or a general audience that explore the critical connection between cultural heritage and climate. Our co-produced booklet and accompanying social media campaign will increase understanding and accessibility of cultural heritage practice and research within the climate debate, and platform Indigenous and grassroots solutions at a time where sustainable, community-led, and innovative solutions are urgently needed to tackle climate change.