ABU DHABI, 2nd February, 2026 (WAM) -- The Ministry of Culture has announced the findings of its landmark national study titled “Rooted in Resilience: How Culture Shapes Climate Resilience in the UAE”, co-commissioned with the British Council. The study was unveiled during the Ministry’s participation at a high-level roundtable discussion held in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and attended by key stakeholders from the culture and climate sectors.
The Ministry of Culture was represented by Shatha Al Mulla, Assistant Undersecretary for the National Identity and Arts Sector. Her Excellency noted that culture has long been overlooked in climate action, despite its vast, untapped potential to drive transformative change.
“In the UAE, a country rooted in rich traditions and home to a rapidly evolving creative sector - and through the strong collaboration established between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Climate Change, the question is no longer whether culture is relevant to climate action, but how it can be systematically integrated into our national climate strategies. This includes mitigation, adaptation, resilience-building, and addressing non-economic loss and damage,” Al Mulla said.
He added, “Culture-based climate action is the proud legacy of COP28. The UAE-led COP28 marked a significant milestone with the recognition of cultural heritage as a key indicator of the Global Goal for Adaptation (GGA). The year 2023 also marked the founding of Group of Friends for Culture-Based Climate Action, an informal coalition co-led by UAE and Brazil, dedicated to advancing the integration of culture into international climate policies under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Against this backdrop, this study represents a critical step toward developing frameworks that not only support the UAE’s Long-Term Net Zero by 2050 ambitions but also embed cultural considerations within Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).”
The baseline study marks the first national assessment of the cultural sector’s contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation in the UAE. It highlights a vital and innovative cultural landscape in the UAE, where cultural and cultural heritage institutions are already leading initiatives that demonstrate the cultural sector’s capacity to contribute effectively in the transition towards a more sustainable future. At the same time, it underscores the need for greater coordination, capacity-building, and policy alignment to unlock culture’s full potential in climate action.
The study found that culture-based climate action is present across the sector but remains largely uncoordinated. While 76 per cent of respondents reported engaging in climate-related work, only 20 per cent have a clear internal definition of what this work involves or the skills required to deliver it effectively. It also highlighted that traditional knowledge is under increasing threat, with heritage-based practices such as falaj systems and vernacular architecture disappearing due to urbanisation and the loss of ancestral knowledge.
The findings showed that policy engagement related to the culture sector is largely high-level but siloed. Although the sector is referenced in NDC 3.0 and Net Zero frameworks, implementation mandates and cross-ministerial coordination mechanisms remain limited. In addition, the study revealed weaknesses in capacity, inclusion and measurement, with only 31 per cent of institutions tracking culture-based climate action outcomes beyond basic participation metrics, while youth, migrants and community-based practitioners remain underrepresented.
Despite these challenges, the study concluded that the cultural sector has strong potential to drive behavioural change, as festivals, exhibitions, theatre and music initiatives, alongside their public education programmes, can play an effective role in promoting sustainability through relatable and impactful examples.