We are pleased to announce that later this month we will launch our Strategic Climate Fund Campaign.

Strategic Climate Funds (SCFs) are our suggested alternative to conventional carbon offsetting, a system that is now widely regarded as deeply flawed. The forthcoming campaign will raise awareness of climate financing schemes with the aim of decisively re-orienting the arts sector away from carbon offsetting, once and for all.

We released our first version of the SCF policy in 2021 in response to enquiries from our members, who wanted to know our position on carbon offsetting schemes. Working with our environmental advisor, Danny Chivers, we developed a policy that allowed organisations to decarbonise and support effective climate initiatives without running into the problems associated with conventional offsetting.

Since then we have learnt a lot. We’ve listened to feedback from climate experts, as well as our members and other leaders in both the cultural and environmental industries. At the same time, there has been increased scrutiny of offsetting schemes in the wider media. As a result of our learning, we’ve now revised our policy, which we’re excited to share with our members in the coming weeks.

Joining the conversation

Opinions and guidelines on climate finance, decarbonisation, net zero targets, and carbon offsetting are evolving rapidly, and there has been significant change in the last few years alone.

Awareness and engagement from the general public is accelerating and, with this, people are increasingly proficient at sniffing out false claims and other forms of greenwashing. At the same time, reports of ineffectual and misleading offsetting schemes are increasingly common.

This means that we now find ourselves in a situation where the need for funding environmental initiatives has never been more urgent, but the most accessible ‘solution’ (conventional carbon offsetting) is not robust enough to be considered trustworthy.

GCC aims to be on the front foot and provide the most up-to-date information and guidance for its members. The revised and much expanded SCF policy reflects the latest understanding of best practice based on conversations with environmental advisors and lawyers, as well as leaders in both the culture and climate sectors.

Although we designed the SCF policy for the visual arts sector, we believe that it also has the potential to transform climate action across other sectors and industries.

What this means for the visual arts

Over 1,000 arts organisations around the world have joined GCC. This means that thousands of individual professionals across the world are aligned to our targets and committed to act with hope, positivity and ambition in the face of the climate crisis.

For its relative size, the visual arts sector is responsible for a disproportionate climate impact that we need to address urgently. But the art world also has a powerful public platform, which may be even more important in tackling the climate emergency. Together, we have huge potential to shift the art world onto a lower carbon path.

Many organisations within and outside the arts are now discovering the limits of ‘net zero’ targets and the problems with conventional carbon offsetting. By adopting, standardising and showcasing SCFs as a better alternative, we can encourage others to follow our example, helping organisations from across society to set more meaningful carbon targets and divert funds into projects and initiatives that could make a real difference.

In short, our new Strategic Climate Fund policy is one more way that the visual arts sector can address its own impacts while also helping wider society find solutions for a just, low-carbon future.

More information to come

GCC will launch the Strategic Climate Fund campaign in London later this month.

Following the launch, more details of the updated policy will be released, including information on how to create your own Strategic Climate Fund, answers to common questions, and stories from organisations who have already implemented SCFs.