Rooted in Resilience Study
UAE Leadership in Culture-Based Climate Action
The United Arab Emirates has emerged as a global leader in advancing Culture-Based Climate Action (CBCA), which positions culture as a key lever in addressing the climate crisis. During COP28, the country adopted the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience, identifying cultural heritage as one of the seven thematic targets to assess progress towards the Global Goal for Adaptation, and launched the Group of Friends for Culture-Based Climate Action (GFCBCA) to reinforce culture’s role in climate change policy. These efforts resulted in CBCA being an emerging foundation for global systemic change, bringing together cultural heritage, creative industries, and indigenous knowledge to equip climate policy for equitable transition across sectors and society.
A National Reference Study
Co-commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and the British Council, ‘Rooted in Resilience’ is the UAE’s first national baseline study assessing how CBCA is advancing across the cultural sector. It addresses three imperatives, including safeguarding tangible and intangible heritage, mobilising culture as both a source of adaptive knowledge and a powerful tool for public engagement and behavioural change, and ensuring climate strategies are community-centric. It highlights a dynamic cultural ecosystem, with organisations reducing carbon footprints, advancing heritage-led climate solutions and adopting innovative sustainable practices. By sharing these findings, it seeks to initiate cross-sector dialogues to reflect on policy frameworks and future initiatives. It also supports the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment’s National Adaptation Plan reporting, aligns with the UAE Net Zero 2050 strategy, and strengthens the UAE-and Brazil-led GFCBCA’s advocacy for recognising culture’s role in climate action at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).