How can traditional Southeast Asian culture be a basis for effective climate change action in the region?
This question will be considered by the Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Alliance’s (SEACHA) conference “Cultural Wisdom for Climate Action: The Southeast Asian Contribution”, arranged by The Siam Society and supported by B. Grimm.
In the conference, civic leaders, scholars, and activists from across the region will make the case for the value of Southeast Asia’s ancestral wisdom and cultural heritage as a major component of the region’s strategy to mitigate climate change.Despite the disproportionately large impact of the climate crisis on Southeast Asia, much of the dialogue around climate action has been driven by voices outside of the region.
It is time to recognize how Southeast Asian heritage and traditions provide an overlooked arsenal of weapons for their countries’ strategy to cope with climate change. In this conference, Southeast Asian perspectives draw on regional history, sustainable resource stewardship methods, indigenous design practices, traditional spiritual tradition, and native social structures inform the conversation around climate adaptation.
This conversation must not only look back to traditional knowledge but must also elevate the passion and vision of Southeast Asian youth who will shape the world to come. Therefore, both established and young emerging leaders across generations will share the platform in Bangkok to lead us in this first-of-its-kind conference for the region that does not ask “What will climate change do to cultural heritage?”, but rather, “How can cultural heritage help mitigate climate change?”
Join us for “Cultural Wisdom for Climate Action: The Southeast Asian Contribution”.
Source: SEACHA Cultural Wisdom and Climate Action