The National Library of Wales has today launched a new Culture and Climate Cymru website and networking platform to help the country’s culture and heritage sector respond to the climate crisis.
The new resource – https://cultureandclimate.cymru/ – has been developed as part of the library’s Climate Action Programme in partnership with Welsh Government.
It was unveiled at a network event hosted on the Welsh Government stand on the National Eisteddfod maes in Pembrokeshire.
Culture and Climate Cymru aims to support individuals and organisations across the sector to collaborate on tackling climate and nature emergencies. It also provides access to resources, events, case studies, training information and an online forum to share ideas and collaborate.
Responding to a research report into the Welsh culture sector and climate and nature emergencies, the website supporting delivery of Ambition 16 of the Welsh Government’s Priorities for Culture.
Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, library chief executive, said: “The National Library of Wales has an important role to play in helping people to access accurate information that they can trust about climate change.
“There is also so much information, history and intangible heritage in our collections that can help us tackle the climate and nature crises. Taking climate action therefore aligns with our core mission to protect, expand and develop the collections and enable people to enjoy and appreciate the content.”
Judith Musker Turner, Climate Action Programme lead, said the new resource makes collective action easier to protect Wales’s culture and heritage from climate change, whilst highlighting the outstanding work that is already being done.
“The culture sector has a unique power to inspire change and to bring people together, and it is important that this is more widely recognised,” she added.
With financial support from Welsh Government, the library is a leading organisation in environmental sustainability as it works towards becoming carbon neutral by 2028, eliminating gas use and reducing carbon emissions.
The library has recently transformed its historic estate through an ambitious retrofit programme, significantly reducing its carbon footprint while securing a more sustainable future.
Measures include installing air and ground heat pumps, 1,622 solar panels and implementing an intelligent building management system to improve energy efficiency.
The Climate Action Programme is also supporting a pilot project to help three cultural organisations based in historic buildings to develop decarbonisation plans and a training programme to support the cultural workforce to develop the skills they need to take climate action.
In addition, people working in culture and heritage in Wales now have a chance to share learning and best practice on climate with colleagues from across the UK.
Visit the website to find out more, join the forum and sign up to the newsletter to hear about the latest developments.
