Climate Dignity
Climate justice is one of the official sustainability goals set out in the 2030 Agenda adopted by the United Nations in 2015. It does mention “climate action” as goal number 13. However, what exactly falls under this term remains open and is the subject of heated debate at the annual world climate summits. The prospects that the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is still achievable are bleak, not to say futile. However, there is growing concern in many places to make climate justice a partial reality after all, which should not be limited to the “chosen few”. In contrast, if you look at recent election results, one may well feel uneasy that anything serious will move in this direction. As soon as climate change deniers are in power, climate action, regardless of its shape and color, could be over for good.
At the same time, the concept contains points of reference relating to a freer, more democratic – and above all a good – life for as many people as possible. It is therefore legitimate to ask to what extent the sustainable development goal in question also includes the aspect of a “dignified existence”. In line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, shouldn’t there be something like “climate dignity” – something that was naturally not considered in the first resolution on this in 1948? What is meant here is the right, far removed from any global reality, not to be affected by the climate catastrophe in basic human constituents such as health, freedom, well-being, etc.
In particular, this question arises in relation to those people, communities and countries that are most affected by the effects of climate change, but who themselves contribute the least to its rapid acceleration. Furthermore, it is not only the dignity of humans that is at stake here, but also – if we take the concept of the “more-than-human” Earth system seriously – that of all other organisms and life forms. What’s more, the entire network of ecosystems, which are currently spiraling out of control, is at stake here – a finding that relates to the interdependence between humans and their environment in all its manifestations, which must also be taken into account.
“Imagine Climate Dignity: Artistic Collaborations” was the title of an international call launched by the Section for International Cultural Affairs of the Austrian Foreign Ministry together with Künstlerhaus Wien at the end of 2023 (this was a continuation of the “On the Road Again” project series launched in 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic under the direction of Simon Mraz). The call was aimed at artists living in Austria who, together with international colleagues, should approach the topic of “climate dignity” in an imaginative or speculative way, but at the same time in a realistic and, if possible, transformational way. A jury consisting of Silvie Aigner, Günther Oberhollenzer, Tanja Prušnik, Deborah Sengl and Christoph Thun-Hohenstein ultimately selected 15 projects. Over the course of 2024, these were presented at international destinations by the respective Austrian Cultural Forum in collaboration with local partner institutions; in spring 2025 a complete survey will take place in the form of a group exhibition at Künstlerhaus Wien (the list of all projects can be found at www.ontheroadcall.at).
The “Climate Dignity” issue, which was produced in cooperation with this call, focuses on a selection of these projects in order to explore questions such as: What do sustainable living models look like that enable people to live a dignified life, while at the same time respecting the dignity of their natural environment? Which climate protection and adaptation measures are currently the most urgent, and how can artistic concepts contribute to the effective implementation of these measures? How can approaches in the arts promote the protection of biodiversity and other planetary boundaries? What role can new technologies play in the implementation of “climate-friendly” lifestyles? And finally, how can we succeed in ushering in a new era of ecological regeneration based on a lasting balance between humans and their environment?
The answers to these complex questions presented here are as diverse as they are reflective and thoughtful. On the artistic side, there is a broad spectrum of medially and conceptually divergent approaches: from the performance-led, literal “dance on the volcano” by the Shaken Grounds collective, to seemingly simple drawings of what should be done first with respect to transformation (see the project by Oliver Ressler and Claudia Schioppa), through to precautions for the future that can already be detected today in urban practices of a megacity like Cairo (Sabine Bitter/Helmut Weber together with Huda Lutfi).
These artistic contributions and active design variants of “Imagine Climate Dignity” are complemented by a series of essays that focus on supplementary or contextualizing aspects. Gudrun Ratzinger, for example, asks about the more precise outlines of an ethics of climate dignity that could point the way out of the “misanthropocene”. In his philosophical reflection, Bronislaw Szerszynski explains how the gesture of experimentation acquires new currency in a more-than-human world, insofar as it “breaks” with old models of understanding the world. Finally, Raluca Voinea uses the practical example of the Experimental Station for Research on Art and Life, an agricultural project near Bucharest that she co-initiated, to describe how “climate dignity” can become a daily task and epistemological challenge.
All in all, the interlocking mosaic pieces in this issue show that climate justice – and climate dignity! – are not just empty words, but offer a wide range of suggestions: not only for imagining a fairer and more liveable world, but also for countering the anti-climate change sentiments of the present.