There is no doubt

Humanity faces the combined catastrophes of:

• climate change
• a mass extinction of vital biodiversity
• a degradation of ecosystems health everywhere.

This is the Climate and Ecological Emergency, or the Planetary Emergency.

Of these, climate change is the major threat multiplier because it is non-linear, containing many systems that feed back on each other and accelerate change. This has now become an emergency situation because governments and industry have not shown the necessary leadership, and, so far, have not acted fast enough. We are not waiting for more efficient wind-turbines or cheaper solar-panels. What is lacking is visionary leadership. Fortunately, humans are capable of responding in a remarkable variety of ways to accelerate climate solutions and adaptations, and culture can help stir up human response as well as creating new stories and visions for our world.

The declaration movement is gaining pace internationally. It started with Climate Mobilization in the US and Australia, and is now promoted by Extinction Rebellion, Sunrise Movement, School Strike for Climate and other groups calling for urgent action. Sir David Attenborough has expressed the urgency in a BBC documentary, Climate Change - The Facts. More councils across the UK are declaring all the time, including the Greater London Authority, and are committing resources to tackling this emergency. Their declarations state they will work with civic partners, so this is where you come in.

If you have creative or civic resources to contribute, such as meeting space, biodiverse places, skilled people, community partners, or innovative ideas and programmes, then your declaration allows you to explain the contribution you can make. There is no more important way to express the value of arts and culture at this time. See the Why Culture section for more.

If your area or council has declared an emergency, you may be called upon by local people, politicians or funders to respond. Making your own declaration, as an organisation or as an individual, is a good place to start. If your area or council has not declared, you can lead by example, using the power of your declaration to inspire your area or council to do the same.

See the How to Declare section for Further Resources for a Declaration statement, which explains the Climate and Ecological Emergency in more detail.

If you have questions

1. What is the relationship between this and Extinction Rebellion?

Culture Declares Emergency (CDE) arose from conversations between sector practitioners supportive of, or involved in, Extinction Rebellion (XR). The CDE working group is separate from XR but is an ally, and XR offers mutual support.

2. What does it mean to join Culture Declares Emergency?

Making a declaration of emergency is an independent decision of each individual/organisation, and can be done in any way that is right for you. It means announcing your concerns and acknowledging that these are shared by a growing masses of people. It does not mean joining a group, or committing to any actions beyond your remit or limits.

3. Does declaring emergency mean promoting illegal activity?

Our legal advice (in UK law) is that making a declaration of climate emergency is not a criminal act. Dozens of councils across the political spectrum, including the Greater London Authority, Bristol and Manchester have already declared Climate Emergency: climateemergency.uk

Individuals within an institution can be seen as breaking the law (e.g. if they carry out an 'arrestable' action as part of a response to making a declaration) but this does not implicate anyone else in the institution, or the institution itself.

In this toolkit we offer a range of ways that you can support your communities in the context of emergency. These do not include suggestions for disruptive actions, or Non Violent Direct Action (NVDA), as part of a declaration response. However, the template Declaration text is supportive of demands being made globally for Truth, Action and Justice, which implies acknowledging the validity of the many forms of NVDA that are being used to make these demands, particularly where democratic routes are insufficient.

4. Where is Culture Declares Emergency?

This is a global movement. You can declare from anywhere in the world. The launch on April 3rd was in London and most of the first wave of declarations are by practitioners in the UK but there are no limits. You are invited to hold declaration events wherever you are. Please do register with us and let us know what you plan so that we can keep track of, and publicise the growing movement.