Barcelona Metropolis

The climate emergency declaration in Barcelona has stirred a consensus across the board, to which almost all agents on the ideological spectrum have joined. It is heralding a change in mind-set that will also bring a transformation of culture, which must redefine itself in terms of sustainability. However, it must also be an impetus and a catalyst for this change.

The void left by the end of the political procés [the Catalan independence movement] paves the way for reformulating commitments that are more broad-based, if possible. Culture must reinforce the democratising direction, accompanied at all times by values such as sustainability. Only in this way can centrality be achieved in this new context. It is not suffice to demand 2% of the budget; culture’s priorities must be redefined to afford them a truly important place in our lives.

Activist Greta Thunberg’s tsunami can leverage the civic energies that gave impetus to the procés and rechannel it into a project that will further expand the foundations of a calm, yet necessary and urgent revolution.

This moment in time lends us new perspectives and mind-sets. The decade we are beginning calls for new voices and fresh ideas that can handle the challenges posed by this era.