How art can help save the climate. L'Oeil no. 22

Published in February 2018 in the review Global Environmental Change by Miriam Burke, David Ockwell and Lorraine Whitmarsh, the article 'Participatory arts and affective engagement with climate change: the missing link in achieving climate compatible behaviour change?' underlines the importance of emotional engagement in the adoption of new behaviour and studies the impact of participatory arts on perception of climate change. It presents the results of a survey conducted among a small sample of visitors to the Bird Yarns exhibition in Scotland and proposes possible strategies for the use of art in raising public awareness regarding the effects of climate change. Sorting your waste, getting the bus instead of driving, eating less meat: the changing of individual behaviour is a key factor in the fight against climate change. But if change is to occur, individuals need to feel emotionally engaged by the issue. This article reviews the progress made in social psychology in this regard and presents the results of a study among 15 visitors to the exhibition Bird Yarns, before drawing conclusions on the impact of the arts on perception of climate change and the adoption of 'low-carbon' behaviours