Using Season for Change as a case study, this report offers a social science perspective on how cultural events seek to build public engagement with climate change. At the centre of this report is a ‘two-way question’: on the one hand, do the Season for Change commissions embody or represent principles of effective public engagement; and on the other hand, do the social/psychological concepts that underpin public engagement make sense in this creative, cultural context?

With the goal of showing leadership from the cultural sector ahead of COP26, Season for Change was conceived as a UK-wide programme of culture and the arts, led by Artsadmin and Julie’s Bicycle, with the goal of responding to (and inspiring action on) climate change.