Culture has moved from the margins of climate debate to the centre of global climate ambition. That is the message emerging from Culture-Based Climate Action: Mapping the Global Evidence from COP26 to COP30, the British Council’s new global report produced with KEA European Affairs. The report, available on the British Council website from mid October, looks across five years of research, consultation and international collaboration, culture is now recognised as a key enabler of climate action – shaping how people understand climate risk, imagine alternative futures, and mobilise collective responses. 

This shift is not abstract. It is visible in policy, in practice, and increasingly in the architecture of global climate governance. Furthermore, in September 2026, it will take a step forward with the launch of the EU Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage (RCH) – a Horizon Europe initiative that aims to place cultural heritage at the heart of Europe’s climate transition. 

Culture is now a climate actor  

The KEA report shows that since COP26, culture (as understood through the typologies below) has undergone a profound reframing. No longer seen only as something just at risk from climate change, culture is now understood as a driver and enabler of climate solutions – influencing awareness, behaviour, resilience, and policy. 

Across six typologies – from creative climate engagement to Indigenous knowledge, heritage resilience, cultural networks, sustainable cultural sectors and evidence systems – the global evidence demonstrates that: 

  • Creative imagination helps close the awareness–action gap by making climate change emotionally resonant and socially meaningful. 
  • Heritage systems are now formally recognised in UNFCCC adaptation frameworks, with five dedicated indicators adopted at COP30. 
  • Indigenous knowledge is among the most effective forms of place-based climate adaptation, though still underfunded. 
  • Cultural networks are scaling climate action through collaboration, diplomacy and shared learning. 
  • Cultural sectors are rapidly adopting sustainability standards, especially in Europe. 
  • Evidence systems are emerging but fragmented, with major opportunities for shared indicators and MEL innovation. 

The British Council’s own arts portfolio reflects this global shift: 82 countries, 28 interventions, working with artists, heritage custodians, young people and cultural organisations engaged in climate action through creative practice, heritage protection, research, education and cultural relations. 

The EU Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage   

September 2026 will see the launch the EU Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage (RCH) led by Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine. It brings together EU Member States, research institutions, cultural organisations, and international partners to build a coordinated, science‑driven, policy‑ready approach to climate‑resilient heritage. 

The RCH Partnership aims to: 

  • Strengthen Europe’s cultural heritage against climate impacts 
  • Accelerate research and innovation for climate-resilient heritage 
  • Support sustainable materials, conservation methods and digital tools 
  • Connect heritage science with climate policy and community resilience 
  • Build long-term European and international collaboration. 

Working with UK partners The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), The UK National Commission for UNESCO and the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the British Council is a core partner, leading two strategic strands:  

  • Accelerating transfer to policy and society through Living Labs that test and embed climate-heritage solutions; 
  • Fostering international collaboration by developing an international engagement strategy and connecting the Partnership to global climate platforms. 

The RCH Partnership represents the kind of long-term cultural infrastructure that the KEA report calls for: multi-year, multi-country, research-driven and policy-connected. It is a major opportunity for Europe – and for global partners – to turn cultural recognition into climate resilience at scale. 

Why this matters now 

Climate change is accelerating faster than our social systems can adapt. Technical solutions alone cannot shift behaviours, build trust, protect knowledge systems or sustain community resilience.  

The report identifies nine priorities for the next five years – from closing the climate finance gap for culture to embedding cultural rights, strengthening evidence systems, and sustaining intergenerational knowledge. The launch of the RCH Partnership directly advances several of these priorities, especially long-term infrastructure, evidence-building and policy integration. 

The British Council’s role 

As the UK’s organisation for cultural relations, the British Council is positioned to connect cultural actors, policymakers, researchers and communities across borders. Our work spans: 

The RCH Partnership will deepen this role, enabling us to help shape European and global agendas for climate-resilient cultural heritage. 

A cultural turning point 

The next decade will determine whether cultural approaches become embedded in climate governance or remain peripheral. The evidence point to culture is one part of the solution to climate resilience, social transformation and just transition. 

Further Reading 
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