Measuring and communicating the impact of mobility in culture
Calculation and measurement are essential steps in understanding emissions related to public mobility. Communicating on these mobilities makes it possible to share this understanding with the public themselves so that they evolve their mobility.
Transport, a major emissions item in the carbon balance of culture
The transport of visitors and visitors are among the first sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the carbon balances of cultural structures, as indirect emissions (scope 3). The question of public mobility is therefore central to the ecological transition of culture.
Switching from the car to the metro makes it possible to divide CO2 emissions by more than 40.
Different issues and practices in different territories
The situation of visitors with regard to mobility differs according to characteristics of territories, structures and cultural events.
According to a ADEME investigation, in the centres of the main metropolises and in the suburbs of Paris, the share of the car oscillates around 50%. It is very low in Paris, where only 1 in 10 trips is made by car, but far from the densest centers, in small and medium-sized cities and peri-urban and rural territories, the share of the car reaches 80, even 85%.
This situation also concerns cultural places. In his report "Decarbonizing Culture!", the think tank The Shift Project has produced several estimates that give very useful orders of magnitude to understand the environmental impact of visitor travel :
- For an average theater on the outskirts, 88% of spectators come by car to attend a show.
- A festival bringing together nearly 280,000 people in isolated areas will emit between 7,000 and 8,000 teqCO2 due to the mobility of its spectators, and half of these emissions will be caused by 3% of spectators coming by plane.
- As for the audiovisual sector, the carbon footprint of the sector is due to the movement of spectators.
Promoting alternative mobility: concrete actions to implement
Of alternative mobility solutions can and should be encouraged, whether it is change practices based on solutions that are already well established such as trains, bicycles, waterways, andinnovate.
In practice
Actions are possible, whether for business, leisure, or commuting. Here are a few:
- Promote existing labels related to soft mobility in cultural places, to certify the good reception of visitors by bike (Label Accueil Vélo) or by electric car
- Experiment with green pricing systems, with a reduction for those who borrow soft mobilities (if the place is accessible)
- Encourage cultural structures and events to Communicate to the public the carbon footprint of their cultural travel
- Turn cultural places into spaces to raise awareness more broadly to the ecological impacts of transport
Initiatives & good practices
It regularly conducts a survey of more than 100 Breton festivals to assess the impact of public mobility and the progress made. It is supported by Green Alternatives to work on the decarbonisation of public mobility.
Learn more about the website of the Festival Collective
In Boulieu-lès-Annonay in Ardèche, the National Centre of Street Arts and Public Space collaborates with the free carpooling platform Mobicoop to reduce its carbon footprint. Each show date is put online to allow drivers to record their ride and share the route with other spectators.
Find out more about the climate strategy of Quelques P'Arts
During the Francofolies of 2022, this space, in connection with “La Rochelle, Zero Carbon Territory”, offered visitors scientific and playful games and experiences to understand the link between climate and mobility.
The festival website informs spectators that 85% of the event’s carbon footprint comes from their transport before declining the possible access to eco-mobility.
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