“Disasters do not come from nature. They come from the choices we make to live and build in harm’s way, or to force people to live in harm’s way, without having the political power to help themselves deal with hazards. Disasters are avoided when everyone cares for everyone.” (Ana Prados, NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team, 2023.)

City administrations might not be able to stop global warming but they sure can change the way it affects their citizens. Urban adaptation measures can be highly disruptive, diminishing the quality of life and social resilience for many while safeguarding the livelihood for few. Or they can contribute to social cohesion and sense of identity and thus enhance the quality of urban life for all. By valuing local heritage in adaptation projects we can give agency to the communities affected.CCA uses formats like community gatherings, workshops, artistic interventions and public events like debates, exhibitions, concerts or city walks to bring together, encourage and educate citizens to seek agency in urban transformation processes.

“As long as climate protection measures are not designed to be culturally sensitive, they can not be optimally effective. Valuable cultural resources remain unused and climate protection is not viewed enough as a collective task.” (German Climate Alliance, 2023)

There is a vast repository of “climate narratives” (Amitav Ghosh) stored in our songs, customs, books and museums worldwide - public domain and free to use and share for all. But since culture is seldom recognized as a resource, this repository remains organized along cultural, national or economic lines. To activate the full potential of culture we need to organize, make available and share “climate narratives” across professional and political borders - particularly between low-income and high-income populations. Developing strategies and common languages to cross these borders is essential and existential for our future well being. CCA creates collaboration and exchange between North and South, academia and civil society, specifically between natural science, humanities, welfare work, engineering, administration, NGOs and cultural institutions like local theaters, museums, archives and schools.

“Societal adaptation to climate is nothing new. The vicissitudes of climate have acted as significant stimuli throughout human history for social and technological innovation.” (Neil Adger, University of Exeter, 2009)

Disruption, change, adaptation and transformation are constituencies of urban life, identity and history. They make up what we commonly refer to as our cultural heritage. This heritage of dealing with disaster and change is one of the most valuable and most neglected resources in climate adaptation. If adaptation measures are to be sustainable they need to start by acknowledging and understanding this resource. At CCA, we are academically trained cultural researchers with long professional experiences in working with cultural heritage, ready to help our customers recognize, understand and make use of cultural heritage in its many forms.

“As long as climate protection measures are not designed to be culturally sensitive, they can not be optimally effective. Valuable cultural resources remain unused and climate protection is not viewed enough as a collective task.” (German Climate Alliance, 2023)

There is a vast repository of “climate narratives” (Amitav Ghosh) stored in our songs, customs, books and museums worldwide - public domain and free to use and share for all. But since culture is seldom recognized as a resource, this repository remains organized along cultural, national or economic lines. To activate the full potential of culture we need to organize, make available and share “climate narratives” across professional and political borders - particularly between low-income and high-income populations. Developing strategies and common languages to cross these borders is essential and existential for our future well being. CCA creates collaboration and exchange between North and South, academia and civil society, specifically between natural science, humanities, welfare work, engineering, administration, NGOs and cultural institutions like local theaters, museums, archives and schools.