Energising Culture
Thursday 9 March 2017, 11.00 – 17.30
Frobisher Room 1, Level 4, Barbican, London.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
(Registration from 10.30, networking drinks reception and performance from 17.30)
Join Julie’s Bicycle for this first event in a series of conversations focusing on energy, ethics and finance for the cultural sector.
The ability to tap into the reserves of millions of years of solar energy concentrated in fossil fuels has driven and shaped our civilisation over the past few hundred years. But this relationship is also having profound impacts on our climate.
To keep climate change under 2°C, better yet 1.5°C, as mandated by the Paris Agreement, means we have to limit the amount of Carbon we put into the atmosphere – and that means limiting the amount of fossil fuels we burn and phasing out their use in the next couple of decades.
This urgency and pressure has already taken hold and is driving a shift in social, financial and cultural values. Experts in the financial markets are increasingly concerned about a ‘Carbon Bubble’ as ‘unburnable’ fossil fuels are at risk of losing value if we are going to meet our climate commitments.
In the meantime, investment funds committed to divesting from fossil fuels have doubled to over $5 trillion in the past year, global investment in renewable energy in 2015 increased by 5% reaching $285.9bn, and renewables supplied 10% of global electricity in 2015. Both the divestment movement and the call for a zero carbon transition to using only clean, renewable energy to power our societies have gained international backing and momentum.
What are the opportunities and risks for the arts and creative industries in the contexts of these growing movements? What is the role of the arts in this shift?
How can cultural organisations build their financial resilience to growing risks, while helping to build a more sustainable world?
What actions will have the greatest impact?
This event will be the first of several to bring together the cultural and creative sector with experts in the clean energy and ethical finance sector to discuss what new partnerships are needed to unlock this huge potential for new collaborations and approaches.
Be a part of the conversation – Reserve your free place now.
Venue Information and Access
The Barbican Centre is a vast building comprising many different venues. There is ramped access from the main entrance at Silk Street to the Level G Foyer where lifts service all levels. Our event space, Frobisher Room 1 is located on Level 4.
This event will be livestreamed and live subtitled. When booking please inform us if you require any additional access arrangements and we will be happy to accomodate these as far as possible.
Photo Shambala Festival 2012. Photo © Andrew Whitton.
This event is part of a wider programme of Julie’s Bicycle events supported by funding through Arts Council England and is held in association with our partners Good Energy and Innovate UK.