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University convenes Birmingham’s top cultural organisations for action on sustainability

Hosted by Birmingham Royal Ballet, the event saw 15 researchers from the College of Arts and Law lead discussions on how culture can promote sustainability.

7 December 2023
Culture Forward Sustainability event.

Culture Forward Sustainability event.

Timed to coincide with the UN’s COP28 global summit on climate change, the event on Friday 1 December – organised by Culture Forward – marks the beginning of urgent, ambitious collaborations between cultural partners and University of Birmingham researchers that seek to address the critical issues relating to sustainability.

By drawing on our collective expertise and experience in the region, we hope that the attendees will be further empowered to develop new forms of inspirational storytelling, construct hopeful futures, and enact cultural change.

Professor Sara Jones, who will become the new interim Academic Director of Culture Forward in January.

Calico Theatre, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Legacy Centre of Excellence and representatives from Birmingham City Council were among the attendees discussing:

  • How can the arts and humanities scholarship offer a positive alternative to narratives of climate doom and reprimand?
  • How can we pioneer a unique form of regional cultural solidarity in the face of climate change?

At COP28, we launched our new report on “Adaptation and building resilience in a changing world” that brings together national and global policy recommendations on what can be done to address the consequences of climate change. We cannot take action without people and culture. Culture must be at the heart of any transformational path for change and sustainable development. Culture-led solutions that are inclusive and diverse, local as well as global, and focused on people and nature are essential for the just transition.

Professor David Hannah, University of Birmingham Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Sustainability.

Read the new report on "Adapting and building resilience in a changing world."

Featured staff

  • Professor Sara Jones

    Professor of Languages, Cultures and Societies

    Biographical and contact information for Professor Sara Jones in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Birmingham

    Phone: +44 (0)121 414 6185
    Email: s.jones.1@bham.ac.uk

  • Professor David Hannah

    Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability)

    David M. Hannah is Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability), Professor of Hydrology and UNESCO Chair in Water Sciences, and Director of the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability & Climate Action.

    Phone: +44 (0)121 41 46925 (for own research)
    Email: d.m.hannah@bham.ac.uk

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