The Cultural Challenge of Climate Change

Abstract

This is not a conventional essay and climate change is not a conventional subject. The issue's editors asked David Buckland and colleagues to “discuss the intersection of art and climate change science and specifically the Cape Farewell project's approach to curating and disseminating this intersection online, in gallery spaces, and in print.” Climate change is a future-truth; what humans are doing now will be realized in twenty to thirty years' time. The Cape Farewell project is a creative action-based research program evolved to pave the way for a sustainable future; in a way, it is an ambition to create the cultural equivalent of mathematical modeling—how to map the near future space from a position of culture, not science. This essay explores the genesis and history of the organization and the work it is currently undertaking, ultimately examining how culture can be a powerful tool to engage civic society with the enormous challenge of climate change.

The place of a socio-cultural environment in climate change discourse

“…According to Buckland et al (2017), climate is culture, and therefore a shift in ambition, behaviour, and values can build a sustainable environment. Culture is central in envisioning and implementing climate action.…”

“…The politicization of climate science undermines and shifts public perception of scientific consensus. This has led to polarization of opinions (Buckland et al 2017) -created two sides of the debate and each side accuse the other of exaggeration. The vicious debates are a natural result of what is at stake.…”