Shifting the Narrative
Led from the UK and Türkiye, the host of COP31, ‘Shifting the Narrative’ aims to establish practical guidance for how we can use stories and storytelling to promote understanding of and action on climate change.
Stories reach people emotionally as well as intellectually, reconnecting them with one another and the natural world. ‘Shifting the Narrative’ is a one-year pilot project, starting in October 2026, designed to establish principles for harnessing the imaginative power of stories to help the collective response to climate change. It takes a lead from an Open Letter to COP30, published by the University of Birmingham in November 2025 and signed by over 200 humanities scholars, scientists, creative practitioners, and environmental and arts organisations. In the letter we called for the UNFCCC to consult writers, filmmakers and experts on stories and storytelling – especially those from the frontline of climate change – in the COP negotiations and to support them to share their insights with global audiences.
In this new project, we aim to offer practical recommendations on how to integrate the insights and inspiration provided by stories and storytellers into the COP process; how to create and deploy stories inspired by natural and cultural heritage sites to shape policy and public opinion; and how to use stories to foster cultural attitudes conducive to action on climate change. We will be working with an international network of experts on literature, anthropology, archaeology, government and tourism from Pakistan, Indonesia and Brazil as well as the UK and Türkiye, along with creative writers and partners in the arts and heritage sectors including Climate Spring, Shakespeare’s Globe and the agencies responsible for Ruskin Land in the Wyre Forest and the Neolithic UNESCO World Heritage Site at Göbeklitepe.
Research team
Research team
- Professor John Holmes, University of Birmingham, UK – Project Lead
- Dr Sevda Geçen, Bitlis Eren University, Türkiye – Project Co-Lead
- Professor Ruth Gilligan, University of Birmingham
- Professor Julie Gilson, University of Birmingham
- Dr Leire Olabarria, University of Birmingham
- Dr Emanuelle Santos, University of Birmingham
- Dr Jade Arbo, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil
- Dr Else Liliani, Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia
- Dr Sadaf Mehmood, Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan
- Professor Vedi Aşkaroğlu, Giresun University, Türkiye
- Dr Şeyma Benli, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Türkiye
- Professor Özlem Güzel, Akdeniz University, Türkiye
- Dr Mehmet Kahyaoğlu, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Türkiye
Writers in residence
Writers in residence
Project partners and collaborators
Project partners and collaborators
- Climate Spring
- Shakespeare’s Globe
- Fast Familiar
- The Guild of St George
- Sanliurfa Metropolitan Municipality
- Sanliurfa Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism
Project sites
Project sites
Supported by:
Arts & Humanities Research Council