As city leaders, we must act now
It’s up to all of us to face the intensification of climate change and the collapse of biodiversity across the globe: we must act more quickly to achieve greater restraint whilst demonstrating new ways of working. Set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services reports and the international scientific community, our common horizon is 2025. Unless we gain traction before that, we risk reaching the breaking point of our ecosystem and, thus, of our models of society. As leaders of large European cities, and in line with the European Green Deal, we commit to making our local policies more sustainable and more inclusive; we acknowledge that this entails working together with local actors; and we commit to making this ambition and the actions taken visible to local people.
Culture is part of the solution Arts, culture and heritage, in all their diversity, are the expression of our European identity. They are a source of emancipation, a space for collective expression and awareness, a force that unites, and a lever to make our territory lively and attractive throughout the world. Local cultural policies aim to provide access to art and culture for all (enjoying, creating and practicing art at all stages of life), foster a better understanding of heritage, develop imagination, sharpen critical thinking and openness to the world, and share emotions. Arts and culture are a powerful lever to support positive change. They affect emotions, open consciences, and inspire both individual and collective action to achieve a restrained and sustainable model. Culture also helps to forge links and strengthen solidarity within our territories. Nevertheless, cultural and artistic activities consume energy, resources and materials and can also generate several types of pollution. We understand and share the urgency for action to meet the ecological imperative through all our public policies, including those on culture. We also maintain our commitment to the objectives of artistic excellence and social inclusion, understanding that provision for society’s least privileged ultimately benefits everyone. We are convinced that cities and their urban areas have a key role to play. It is at local level that concrete decisions can be taken, in close proximity to people’s everyday lives. It is also on this scale that cultural institutions, artists, audiences and other stakeholders can gather to build projects and models of more sustainable culture.
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