On 28 September the European Heritage Hub held a half-day Forum entitled ‘Reimagining the Anthropocene’ focused on culture-based solutions to climate change.
The Forum took place just weeks after the UN’s Global Stocktake Report confirmed that contemporary climate policy is failing to keep the promise of 1.5° alive and to deliver fit-for-purpose adaptation. These same policies often overlook the historic and cultural origins of climate change and the socio-cultural enabling conditions of transformative climate action. Over four panels, speakers explored the relationship between these two issues at The Human Safety Net in Venice, gathering over 220 participants in person and 1,500 online.
The Secretary General of United Nations, Antonio Guterres, sent a letter of support to the Hub Forum which declared: “The need to harness culture and heritage in the fight for our planet has never been more urgent”.
Keynote speakers included Catherine Magnant, Head of Unit of Cultural Policy of the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission; HRH Princess Dana Firas of the Petra National Trust; Hermann Parzinger, Europa Nostra Executive President; His Excellency Mubarak Al Nakhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the UAE; and Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary-General of Europa Nostra
Discussions fed into a global call to action to put culture and heritage at the heart of climate action, which led to the creation of the Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action at COP28.
The Forum was the first public program of the new European Heritage Hub project, an-EU funded pilot project bringing together heritage stakeholders and initiatives across Europe to support the transition towards a more sustainable, digital and inclusive society.
