Centring Culture in the Climate Crisis
In January 2025 The Cultural Philanthropy Foundation launched an ambitious two-year programme of work building on the vital message at the heart of Caroline Lucas’s influential 2024 lecture for the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation, that culture is the missing piece of climate action.
“The arts speak to hearts and minds, helping us understand the climate and nature crisis through storytelling and shared experiences. They have the potential to move us to reimagine our world and inspire communities to take climate action.”
- Caroline Lucas, Cultural Philanthropy Foundation Thought Leadership lecture, November 2024
Research shows British people want to see more climate change content in arts and culture
Our latest research, published in January 2026, in partnership with Climate Outreach and Wellcome, shows that British people want to see more climate change content in arts and culture.
It also reveals a society that cares more about the climate crisis than it’s given credit for, and is eager to see more climate storytelling from cultural organisations.
The research is a rallying cry for creatives and the industry at large to step up their climate storytelling to meet rising demand.
Image Credit: EarthSonic Live, Manchester Museum. David Oates
Our current and forthcoming activity encompasses research, advocacy and strategic communications designed to articulate and strengthen the power of the culture and heritage sectors in addressing the climate crisis. Across 2025-27, our work will include:
Tracking, evaluating and communicating holistic organisational change across a cohort of six culture and heritage organisations driving broad environmental benefit through their work, mapped against the Achates impact framework the 9 Types of Impact of Culture and Heritage©.
An in-depth research project in partnership with the Wellcome Trust and Climate Outreach which explores, in detail, how key audiences are engaging with climate and health within cultural and entertainment contexts, and who they trust within these spaces.