A comment published by The Art Newspaper has argued that arts and culture should be embedded in disaster recovery strategies worldwide, a position that gained traction at COP29 where participating nations pushed for formal recognition of culture’s contribution to climate resilience. According to the publication, the piece frames culture not as an afterthought but as an essential element that helps communities process trauma, preserve identity and rebuild social cohesion following catastrophic events. The comment arrives as climate-related disasters grow in frequency and severity, with data from multilateral organisations underscoring the vulnerability of both tangible and intangible heritage.
UNESCO officials speaking at COP29 described culture as the forgotten decisive factor in climate change responses, with Dorine Dubois, chief of the culture sector at the organisation, highlighting projected losses by 2100 that include all world heritage coral reefs and 60 percent of world heritage glaciers. Dubois told delegates that living heritage faces comparable threats through the disappearance of sacred sites, a development that compounds the human cost of extreme weather. The Art Newspaper reported that campaigners at the summit sought to elevate culture alongside established priorities such as climate finance and technological innovation.
A representative from the advocacy effort, identified in coverage by The Art Newspaper as Fancy, outlined the goal of inserting culture into the main United Nations framework and securing a seat at negotiation tables rather than relegation to peripheral zones. The Art Newspaper noted that artists currently operate outside core discussions, limiting their ability to shape policy on adaptation and recovery. This marginalisation persists despite evidence from multiple studies demonstrating culture’s practical value in resilience building.
A scoping review published in the journal Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure synthesised findings from numerous studies showing that arts participation programmes improve community wellbeing, enhance disaster education and help residents reconfigure identity in connection with place after events. The review, which represents the first formal synthesis of such research, identified four explanatory models that can guide programme design across prevention, preparedness, response and recovery phases. Lead authors of the interdisciplinary paper stressed that arts offer innovative solutions but called for additional rigorous evaluation to refine best practices.
In the wake of the October 2024 floods in Valencia, Spain, that killed more than 200 people, local artists and institutions launched fundraising auctions and assessed damage to museums, churches and studios, according to follow-up reporting by The Art Newspaper. The Spanish minister of culture announced a reconstruction plan focused on cinema and publishing sectors, yet the comment in The Art Newspaper argues such measures should extend to broader cultural programming that supports psychosocial healing. Similar mobilisation followed Hurricane Melissa in 2025, which caused between 48 and 52 billion dollars in damage across the Caribbean and prompted Unesco to commit 300,000 dollars for 142 assessed cultural sites in Jamaica.
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency released a fact sheet in alignment with its Year of Resilience campaign that details how art and cultural organisations contribute to preparedness, response and long-term recovery by fostering community awareness and equity. FEMA Director Justin Ángel Knighten cited sculptures directing rainwater and murals marking flood levels as examples of art enhancing public understanding of mitigation. The National Endowment for the Arts has meanwhile prioritised grants for disaster planning, including a 2024 award to the University of Kentucky for arts-based emergency training in rural counties.
Public Authority for Civil Information data and parallel figures from multilateral bodies place the global expatriate and vulnerable populations at scales that amplify the impact of cultural loss during disasters, reinforcing the argument that recovery without heritage components leaves communities less cohesive. The Art Newspaper comment concludes that integrating arts early in planning reduces long-term costs and accelerates social reconnection, a view now echoed by delegations at successive COP meetings seeking to move culture from the margins to the centre of international agreements.
