The call of Brno’s cultural institutions to declare a state of climate emergency in the city of Brno
We live in times of extraordinary and dramatic changes, one of which is climate change. There were times when the warnings of rising emissions were rather sporadic. Today, however, a substantial body of experts in the field are calling for reductions in CO2.
We believe that it is high time to start doing something about reducing emissions. In the spring of 2019, the Centre for Experimental Theatre, together with the HaDivadlo and Husa na provázku theatres and the platform Terén, issued a call for Brno City Municipality to declare a state of climate emergency at the level of the city and for the city leaders to draw up a plan to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
In this call, we state:
We, the representatives of cultural institutions operating in Brno, feel a responsibility for our shared future and do not intend to accept the apathy of government elites and the inaction of the majority of society. We therefore propose that Brno City Municipality declare a state of climate emergency at a city level and that the city leaders draw up a plan to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. We are convinced that the target for 2030 could be more ambitious than what will be declared in the forthcoming Brno Action Plan for Sustainable Energy and Climate. Achieving this requires transformation not only in the field of energy, but also in many other areas. At the same time, these plans should be socially sensitive and should not put vulnerable groups of inhabitants at risk.
As artists, we turned primarily to our colleagues in the field of culture. Almost fifty Brno cultural institutions and universities immediately responded to our call, which was prompted by the report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change from October 2018. Among the institutions supporting the call are:
National Theatre in Brno
JAMU
FaVU
The publishing house and magazine Host
Moravian Library
Museum of Romani Culture
Scala University Cinema
Brno House of Arts
Moravian Gallery in Brno
Fléda
Brno City Museum
Brno Philharmonic
This call by the Centre for Experimental Theatre is not an isolated cry, but follows a Prague call of cultural institutions addressing the representatives of the city of Prague. This call was also preceded by other similar initiatives in Europe and the US. It is encouraging that other cities and districts are themselves declaring that they will radically reduce emissions (some, for example, by 50% by 2030, with others aiming for zero in the same year) and are introducing concrete measures.
We expect many other cities to join in the initiative to radically reduce emissions over the next five years. This is why we need to prepare and begin implementing clear and effective measures as soon as possible. We would be happy if the city of Brno clearly and openly signed up to this call and began to act. It would be wonderful if Brno signed up alongside other progressive and ecologically minded cities and became a role model and positive example to others. Brno’s size, population composition and a number of other factors make it a very good candidate for this.