Can art lead on carbon reductions?

Matthew Taylor in his blog on Monday sent out a mobilising call for ideas and active engagement by individuals and communities in addressing the absolute imperative of decreasing our carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. At the moment, as Peter Head said recently in this Arts & Ecology interview, despite the talk there's little sign from central and local government that we're any closer to moving towards that target.

Matthew Taylor in his blog on Monday sent out a mobilising call for ideas and active engagement by individuals and communities in addressing the absolute imperative of decreasing our carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. At the moment, as Peter Head said recently in this Arts & Ecology interview, despite the talk there's little sign from central and local government that we're any closer to moving towards that target.

The arts have to be more involved than we are in responding to this.

Heaven knows, there’s abundant creativity in the arts sector, which is what is massively needed. I believe there’s also the will amongst an increasing number of individuals and organisations. We have some brilliant initiatives afoot that demonstrate this – galleries and theatres from TATE to Arcola are activating energy reducing strategies. Tipping Point, Cape Farewell and Julie’s Bicycle are doing their damnest to get everyone to wake up. Julie's Bicycle is launching the Green Music Guide next month – an action plan that aims to reduce the London Music Industry’s greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2025. Many artists are incredibly carbon light already, Gustav Metzger being a prime example of someone who addresses the underlying issues in his work, someone who has refused to fly for decades and who nobody could accuse of materialism.

But somehow the impetus for fundamental change is still lagging somewhere in the inactive bracket of our collective arts sector behaviour and image. The message isn’t going out that we are fundamentally bothered. What the public sees are the financial successes, Damien Hirst’s auction being a sublime example, that are splashed across the media.

How do we encourage and reveal, far more publicly, the altruism and ideas that are currently under the radar? We are planning an Arts & Ecology month in June which celebrates and encourages altruism and treading lightly on the planet. Please get in touch if you are involved in initiatives that we don’t know about.

Here’s to getting more visibility for positive action!

Image:  Still from Whole Earth by Christopher Keller 2006/7. Currently on show as part of the exhibition Moral Imagination: Current Positions Contemporary Art in the Face of Global Warming