Culture – Adaptation
With respect to culture, there are two clear challenges requiring the climate conditions be taken into account: arrangement of outdoor venues and upholding cultural traditions. In the former, municipalities' responsibility is restricted to the construction and maintenance of the venues, while in the latter, cultural traditions include literary archives and minority cultures' issues, in addition to tending to historical monuments and building heritage.
Cultural production of cities is rarely connected to weather
Typically, cities' own cultural activities take place in art institutes, while library administration takes a significant part of the appropriation. Only a small share of the cultural appropriation of municipalities is directed in support of such cultural activities which might be directly influenced by climate change.
In many respects, the nature of outdoor events defines how much the weather affects the success of the event. Challenges are posed by ticket sales that is depended on weather and arranging the event despite poor weather. Naturally, exceptional weather conditions have the most effect on execution of outdoor events. Structural challenges are introduced by direction of rainwater in large fields and weather-resistance of shelters.
Climate change increases pressures directed at the cultural environment
In Finland, impact of climate change on the cultural environment is one of the rare fields of culture that has been the subject of studies. Fears include changes in the local flora, pests and increasing moisture strain on the cladding of buildings. The changing climate conditions along with the changing species change the nature of the cultural sceneries and increase maintenance need. A particular challenge is introduced by the wood-intensive traditional building stock.
Reindeer husbandry and Sami culture face challenges
For the northern municipalities, pressures aimed at the traditional livelihoods of the Sami are a significant question. Reindeer husbandry is closely connected to the natural conditions. Changes in the snow situation and structure of the snow impede nutrition of the reindeer and hot weather in the summer aggravates the situation.
Climate culture?
An interesting phenomenon of its own is climate change becoming content of culture; literary works, films and plays. Indeed, climate change is a theme that an artist should address but creating and supporting emission-free art is not so easy. Perhaps, in the future, environmental art and small-scale productions would be able to offer a counterpart to the current, often spectacle-like, cultural offering. Another question is, how will these themes be visible in the art education provided by the municipality?