Climate Resilience in the Cultural Sector

In March, I joined the opening panel at the Climate Resilience in the Cultural Sector conference at the British Library, contributing to a discussion on how cultural organisations are responding to the growing challenges of climate risk and adaptation.

The panel brought together perspectives from across the sector, including national institutions, consultants and organisations managing complex cultural estates.

A key focus of the discussion was implementation — not simply setting sustainability ambitions, but understanding how organisations translate resilience strategies into practical action within operational, financial and estate constraints.

From my own experience working across diverse cultural sites, one of the most important aspects of resilience planning is taking a pragmatic and deliverable approach. For many organisations, particularly those without large dedicated sustainability teams, progress depends on using data effectively, identifying opportunities as they arise, and embedding incremental improvements within wider programmes of work.

It was particularly valuable to contribute the perspective of a smaller, non-national organisation alongside larger institutions, highlighting that approaches to resilience must remain adaptable to organisational scale, resource and context.

What emerged clearly throughout the day was that there is no single model for climate resilience within the cultural sector. However, there is increasing recognition that long-term resilience depends on practical delivery, cross-disciplinary collaboration and steady progress over time.

The conference created space for thoughtful and constructive discussion across the sector, bringing together a wide range of expertise and experience at an important moment for cultural organisations navigating environmental change.