Australian ACE Network

A crucial UN Goal that calls for museum support.

What is ACE?

Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) is a term adopted by the UNFCCC to denote work under Article 6 of the Convention and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement. [1]  ACE encompasses action to empower all members of society to respond effectively to the climate crisis. Enabling public awareness, climate change education and participation in solutions, ACE is necessary for achieving and progressing climate action.[2] As the UNFCCC states, implementation of the 6 elements of ACE (below) is crucial, ensuring that:

…everyone, across all walks of life, understands the causes and impacts of climate change, and is educated, equipped and empowered to contribute to effective actions that drive mitigation, adaptation and resilience. [3]

The new Glasgow Work Programme for ACE (2022) sets out a framework for action and reporting.[5] National ‘Focal points’ (contact people in relevant national government departments)[6] have been identified and at recent COPs, and ‘Dialogues on Action for Climate Empowerment’ provide a forum for stakeholders to share experiences, ideas and lessons learned.[7] The UNFCCC is working to establish ‘broad collaboration between all levels of government and all sectors of society’. [8] Museums and other cultural institutions are ideally placed to advance Action for Climate Empowerment, and an increasing number around the world are doing so. ACE supports the Sustainable Development Goals (particularly Quality Education and Climate Action) some institutions are already pursuing.

ACE in museums in Australia
Increasingly, cultural institutions in Australia are communicating in engaging ways about the climate and biodiversity crises and highlighting solutions. Through exhibitions, programs for schools and the public, conversation events, social media, online resources and publications - cultural institutions are helping audiences to find pathways to action.

A series of workshops in May 2023 initiated a network for museums and galleries around ACE. ‘Together for Action: Museums & Galleries advancing Action for Climate Empowerment’ brought museum and gallery workers from around Australia together for online conversations and in-person at the Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMAGA) annual conference in Newcastle.

A communiqué will be collated annually for the sector and for the ACE Focal Point at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), to contribute to Australia’s reporting at the UNFCCC intercessional dialogues in Bonn (June, annually) and at the annual Conferences of the Parties (COP).

For more information contact the convenors of ‘Together for Action’:

Jenny Newell jenny.newell@australian.museum

Kirsten Wehner kirsten.wehner@nma.gov.au

Sabrina Roesner sroesner@bmcc.nsw.ac.uk

Mt Resilience interactive - created by ABC/CSIRO/BOM/Phoria - hosted on Australian Museum website.

Resources:

Museum interactives, programs and online resources:

  • [to be continued]

  • To add your content to this list, please email :

  • mccnetwork@gmail.com

Henry McGhie, Action for Climate Empowerment handbook

International:

  • Henry McGhie has developed an excellent Handbook for cultural institutions wanting to advance ACE.

  • See also the Toolkit produced by Museums for Climate Action.







References

[1] UNFCCC, ‘Action for Climate Empowerment’, website accessed 20 Feb 2023, https://unfccc.int/ace

[2] UNFCCC, ‘Action for Climate Empowerment’, https://unfccc.int/ace

[3] UNFCCC, ‘Action for Climate Empowerment’, https://unfccc.int/ace

[4] UNFCCC, ‘What is ACE?’ blog, 21 June 2021. https://unfccc.int/blog/what-is-ace

[5] UNFCCC, ‘Glasgow Work Programme for Action for Climate Empowerment’, published 31 Nov 2021, https://unfccc.int/documents/310465

[6] UNFCCC, ‘National Focal Points’, https://unfccc.int/topics/education-youth/national-ace-focal-points

[7] UNFCCC, ‘Dialogues on Action for Climate Empowerment’, https://unfccc.int/ace-dialogues

[8] UNFCCC, ‘Action for Climate Empowerment’, https://unfccc.int/ace