In our sixth WCCF COVID-19 Impact and Policy Bulletin we looked at how COVID-19 is affecting climate action plans for culture. We found three main areas of impact.

Positive and negative impacts:

• Lockdowns have reduced industrial activity and travel, reducing greenhouse gases and pollutants. There has been less pressure on ecological systems, as well as increased engagement with nature during the pandemic.

• However, there is increased use of single use plastic and medical waste, and risks of carbon emissions rebound as industries return to ‘business as usual’.

• Longterm behavioural changes are not yet clear – there is an opportunity for governments to shape and support positive behavioural and attitude shifts.

Intensified challenges for cities and culture:

• Competing priorities with limited resources has impacted on environmental action and forward planning.

• Missed opportunities to embed green recovery in COVID-19 responses.

• Culture is facing a crisis of survival, with severe impacts of lockdowns and loss of work across the sector. With reduced workforce, internal capacity and environmental skills have been lost.

New policy challenges:

• How can policy makers find a common ground between mainstream economic restart objective and climate action?

We identified five priorities for cities in the recovery period:

Limit emissions rebound

• Act now to maintain positive environmental impacts

• Emissions are set to rebound in 2021 as economies grow

• Culture must play its part in the reduction of carbon emissions in-line with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals

Drive collaboration

• Recovery provides opportunities for culture to collaborate

• Cultural policy must align with local social and environmental strategies; urban design; education and distance-learning; digital services; tourism; employment and reskilling

• This also presents opportunities to attract different types of funding

Support transition

• Seize opportunities for growth in the low carbon and circular economy

• Cultural organisations can maximise the opportunities of a ‘green recovery’ with support and capacity building

Align funding

• Cultural recovery funding must be linked to environmental targets

• Raise awareness of the value of culture among other public and private investors

• Cultural spaces and programmes can influence audiences’ environmental behaviours

Revive engagement

• Capture public interest in the transformational climate agenda

• Culture provides many opportunities for targeted engagement and community building

• Many cultural leaders are looking to go beyond ‘recovery’ and contribute to transformation on a more systemic level

Download the full report below. With thanks to our research partner Julie’s Bicycle.