The importance of climate action in the visual arts sector
With the COP29 Conference starting this week and as the need for climate action intensifies, we asked the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) to reflect on how the visual arts sector can work together to tackle climate change. In this blog, Aoife Fannin, Project Manager at GCC shares her thoughts on the vital role the creative community can play in a time of climate crisis.
Since 2020, the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) has been leading efforts to reduce the visual arts sector’s carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. By providing resources and best practices, GCC empowers visual arts organisations and artists to adopt sustainable operations and champion systemic change. DACS joined GCC as a member in 2022 and is part of the Active Membership initiative, focusing on near-term tangible action.
COP29 Conference: A crucial moment for climate action
Amidst escalating climate uncertainty, rising global temperatures and intense international debate, the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) arrives at a crucial moment. Every sector, every organisation, and every individual has a role to play. For decades, COP conferences have been central to international climate policy, providing a platform for nations to negotiate commitments to reduce emissions, adapt to climate impacts, and finance sustainability efforts. The urgency of this cannot be overstated: as global temperatures continue to rise, the opportunity to prevent the worst effects of climate change is shrinking. Despite geopolitical tensions, COP29 must prioritise cooperation to make meaningful progress.
Empowering sustainable practices in the arts
Since 2020, GCC has been working to support global efforts as an international coalition of arts organisations and individuals committed to reducing the visual arts sector’s carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions by at least 50% by 2030, while also promoting near-zero waste practices.
A key aspect of our work involves providing resources and best practices for arts organisations and artists to adopt environmentally responsible operations, whether reducing energy consumption in gallery spaces, choosing sustainable materials, or rethinking logistics for artwork transport. By leveraging the collective power of GCC’s membership, we can coordinate individual efforts, and champion the wider systemic changes needed to reduce emissions and create a visual arts sector fit for the future.
As a registered charity, GCC offers these tools and resources free of charge and relies on voluntary donations to maintain operations. GCC exists not for profit but to advance an environmental mission that allows organisations and artists of all shapes and sizes to thrive, within the means of our planet.
Since GCC launched, we’ve seen more and more arts organisations embed sustainability into their operations. This shift is visible in everything from energy-efficient gallery lighting to changing the way artworks are shipped. Artists, too, have become vocal about the need for climate action. Through their practices and public platforms, they are innovating new materials, drawing attention to climate issues, and advocating for a sector-wide shift toward environmental responsibility as a core value.
New tools for artists: the Artist Toolkit and Carbon Calculator
To support this growing movement, we recently launched the Artist Toolkit and a newly improved Carbon Calculator - two tools that offer practical guidance on reducing environmental impact, tailored specifically for the visual arts.
The Artist Toolkit brings together practical ideas, actions and resources to support artists in addressing the climate crisis. Whether through direct action, thematic exploration, or leveraging their influence, artists have diverse avenues to take action. However, knowing where to start is often the hardest part. From effective actions to a comprehensive resource index, as well as a blueprint for creating your own environmental rider, the GCC Artist Toolkit will equip you with the means to effect tangible change.
The Carbon Calculator is a pioneering tool enabling arts organisations and individuals to measure their CO2e emissions accurately. By calculating emissions from factors such as transportation, energy use, and materials, the Carbon Calculator can help you to understand and visualise your environmental impact in concrete terms. This is vital for setting realistic reduction targets and tracking progress over time, enabling the GCC membership to align with the goal of a 50% emissions reduction by 2030.
The role of the arts in climate advocacy
We hope that these tools will provide the framework and support needed to make an environmentally responsible art world accessible, meaningful, and effective. As the world turns its attention to COP29, it’s essential to remember that climate action requires not only policy change, but cultural change too. With its capacity to inspire, the arts sector has a vital role in this transformation. At GCC, we are witnessing a growing number of people and organisations that are leading the way in making the arts an example of how sustainable practice, implemented collectively, can create these much-needed cultural shifts. This is proving that the creative community can (and must!) contribute to climate action.
About GCC
GCC was founded in 2020 by a group of gallerists and professionals working in the visual art sector, in an attempt to develop a meaningful and industry-specific response to the growing climate crisis. It now operates as a quickly growing international charity and membership organisation, with an international membership of over 1,500, including Artists, Non-profits & Institutions, Art-sector Businesses, Individual Professionals, as well as Galleries.
Read more
- What can artists do to reduce their environmental footprint?
- View our Art + Environment event series recordings, in collaboration with the GCC
