Heritage of Fossil Fuel Communities
An obvious place where change will come is in energy
provision. The requirements to move away from fossil fuels will inevitably lead
to the scaling down and closure of coal, oil and gas extraction facilities.
However, communities have built up around these industries and they are
themselves unsustainable without them.
One only needs to look to the pits closures of the 1980s
and 1990s to see how the closures devastated local communities. Take, for example,
the impact of the closure of Nottingham’s Newstead
Colliery
Communities have had to be highly creative to
regenerate but the Arts and Humanities have played a role in this, and there is
considerable potential for collaboration.
Arts and Humanities are also vital for preserving the memories and
experiences of communities, be it through:
• Museums
• Music