A/75/298 impacts. 124 In some countries, cultural heritage is increasingly being incorporated into responses to climate change. 125 Such laudable initiatives must look at tangible, intangible and natural heritage; sites and living cultural landscapes; and involve civil society groups, experts and those with particular connections to aspects of heritage. Heritage helps us benefit from lessons learned in the past about coping with environmental changes and about the integration of nature and culture; enables us to focus on multigenerational timescales; and promotes an ethic of stewardship and reuse, as well as modes of non-material well-being. It can also be used to inspire climate action. 73. Arts and culture are also critical fields for the mobilization of climate action, as well as for information-sharing and awareness-raising about climate change. They offer far-reaching educational tools, including through popular theatre, muralism and music. “There is a gap between empirical knowledge that science gathers and the policy and personal action that is demanded in terms of a response. What the arts can do is create the empathy to bridge that gap, create the personal response …’” 126 Artistic and cultural forms “provide space for collective, improvisational and reflexive modes of acting on and thinking about uncertain futures.” 127 74. The Special Rapporteur was pleased to note the convening of the UNESCO reflection group on culture and climate change in February 2020, bringing together experts from across the globe to discuss the role of culture in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Climate Heritage Network, a global coalition, seeks to mobilize culture and heritage actors around climate change and bridge the gap between climate action and cultural initiative. 128 Such global efforts offer hope, but need support and resources to continue and multiply. Such initiatives are especially laudable for bringing together local voices and international coordination. All international efforts should involve consultation with and the participation of local constituencies and indigenous peoples, including experts, civil society, cultural rights defenders and the diverse populations affected, who, for such efforts to succeed, must be equal partners. 75. Women are change agents for combating the climate crisis. They have smaller carbon footprints than men owing to consumption patterns and lifestyle choices. 129 Women “hold critical local knowledge that can enhance climate adaptations and assist the development of new technologies to address climate variability in areas related to energy, water, food security, agriculture and fisheries, biodiversity services, health and disaster risk management.” 130 However, the ability of women to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation is too often hindered by gender inequality and gendered power dynamics. 131 76. Culture and cultural rights have inherent value for human beings and for their enjoyment of many other human rights. However, we must now also recognize their __________________ 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 20-10595 UNESCO World Heritage Centre, The Impacts of Climate Change on World Heritage Properties (WHC-06/30.COM/7.1), annex 4, Predicting and managing the effects of climate change on world heritage (Vilnius, 2006), p. 47, para. 101. See contributions by Greece and WetFutures Ireland. Guy Abrahams, quoted in Claire Wilson, Can artists make a difference in the climate change debate?. (Asia-Europe Foundation and Culture 360, 2015); and “Culture 21 – Culture, climate change and sustainable development: briefing”, p. 4. Tyszcuk, “Culture and climate change scenarios” (see footnote 109), p. 56. http://climateheritage.org/. International Labour Organization, “Green jobs: improving the climate for gender equality too!”, p. 5 (January 2009). Margaret Alston, “Gender mainstreaming and climate change”, Women’s Studies International Forum, vol. 47, Part B (2014), p. 289. See contribution by International Action Network for Gender Equity and Law. 19/23