Building New Narratives by the Humanities for Climate Change and Sustainable Development

SDSN Ireland participated in two interdisciplinary events that underscore the critical role of the arts and humanities in shaping new narratives for climate change and sustainable development. These two independent but thematically connected gatherings explored how storytelling, culture, and creative practice can bring urgency and insight to one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Exploring Humanities-Driven Climate Action at the Royal Irish Academy

On 27 May, the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin hosted a one-day conference and workshop that brought together leading scholars across literature, language, culture, and communication. The event aimed to position the arts and humanities as central agents in understanding and addressing the climate crisis.

The conference featured a keynote lecture by Professor Kjersti Fløttum (University of Bergen) on the role of language and narrative in climate discourse. A dynamic panel discussion followed, along with a series of powerful case studies showcasing innovative research and creative practice—from environmental humanities and ecopoetics to curriculum development and interdisciplinary storytelling.

SDSN Ireland Arts and Sustainability Thematic Group member Dr Tina-Karen Pusse (University of Galway) presented on 'DAAD grant: European societal challenges in German culture - exploring ageing and climate change in tandem' with her colleague Dr Michaela Schrage-Früh (University of Limerick).

In the afternoon, participants joined facilitated discussion groups to generate practical recommendations for future action. These will inform a forthcoming report aimed at guiding Irish and international arts and humanities scholars in their climate-focused work. The funding disparity with STEM disciplines was a recurrent theme.

Storytelling and Climate: Making the Crisis Tangible in Cork

Running concurrently, the second event—a two-day workshop (28–29 May) at University College Cork (UCC)—focused on “Climate Storytelling,” offering an arts-science approach to climate communication. This event featured films, visual art, and textual installations designed to provoke fresh engagement with climate narratives.  It also reflected the active collaboration between Met Éireann and researchers at UCC and the University of Galway, and the day’s proceedings were moderated by Dr. Rosa Rogers (UCC).

On the first day, participants joined a reflective walk “at the margins of the Anthropocene,” led by Dr John Barimo and Dr Ger Mullally. This walk utilises a novel walking pedagogy to root participants in their local surroundings as they consider global sustainability challenges.  This was followed by a creative writing workshop with Claire Carroll, author of The Unreliable Nature Writer, exploring narrative perspectives from the point of view of non-human (plastic) witnesses.

Day two included keynote discussions on making the climate action tangible, presentations by Met Éireann and the Translate team, and interactive group work to co-design future climate storylines. A standout moment was the keynote address by Ambassador David Donoghue, a key architect of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs.  SDSN Ireland also contributed to the proceedings with a panel discussion about Sustainability and the Arts with Executive Committee Chair David Donoghue, Network Manager Dr John Barimo (UCC), Dr Ger Mullally (UCC) and Deputy Co-Chair Professor Michael Alcorn (QUB).

A New Role for the Humanities

These two events in Cork and Dublin both reflect a growing recognition that the arts and humanities are vital to how we communicate, understand, and act on climate change. By fostering critical thinking, inspiring empathy, and expanding our temporal and cultural horizons, humanities scholarship can help society respond not only to the data of climate science but also to the human and planetary stories behind it.

Dr. Pusse offered that “We should reflect on the pedagogic role of the humanities in unsettling the master-narratives that dominate discourse on climate change. These narratives — whether apocalyptic, technocratic, or redemptive — constrain our thinking. As educators, we are well-positioned to challenge these scripts, not just for our students who are satiated with them, but also for ourselves.”

SDSN Ireland is proud to support and contribute to these efforts as part of our mission to advance sustainable development through interdisciplinary collaboration.