The Ministry of Culture has unveiled the UAE’s first national study examining how culture can strengthen climate resilience, positioning the creative and heritage sectors as underused but powerful drivers of climate action.
Titled Rooted in Resilience How Culture Shapes Climate Resilience in the UAE, the study was co-commissioned with the British Council and presented during a high-level roundtable held with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. The discussion brought together senior stakeholders from both the culture and climate sectors.
Speaking at the event, Shatha Al Mulla, Assistant Undersecretary for the National Identity and Arts Sector, said culture has historically been overlooked in climate strategies despite its ability to influence behaviour and build long-term resilience. She noted that the focus has shifted from questioning culture’s relevance to identifying how it can be systematically embedded into national climate frameworks.
The study marks the UAE’s first baseline assessment of the cultural sector’s contribution to climate mitigation and adaptation. It highlights an active cultural landscape where institutions are already leading sustainability initiatives, while also identifying gaps in coordination, capacity-building, and policy alignment.
Findings show that 76 percent of surveyed organisations are engaged in climate-related work, yet only 20 percent have a clear internal definition of what that work entails. Traditional knowledge systems such as falaj irrigation and vernacular architecture were identified as increasingly at risk due to urbanisation and the loss of ancestral expertise.
The report also points to limited cross-ministerial coordination, weak measurement frameworks, and underrepresentation of youth, migrants, and community-based practitioners.
Despite these challenges, the study concludes that the cultural sector holds strong potential to drive behavioural change, with festivals, exhibitions, and creative programming offering accessible and impactful pathways to promote sustainability across society.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
