How museums can widen their definitions of sustainability

Visitors at an exhibition at Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation, in Sharjah. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Recently, the expanding renewable energy and AI investments by Adnoc, committing $440 billion to the US, demonstrated a global dedication to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. This bold initiative not only aims to strengthen strategic partnerships, but exemplifies a commitment to affordable clean energy, industry innovation and climate action – which are core UN Sustainable Development Goals. By leading on climate solutions beyond its borders, the UAE highlights its resolve to guide others towards a sustainable path.

Sustainability, however, necessitates universal participation. It calls all sectors to action, including those less directly tied to environmental leadership. As cultural institutions spread across developing regions, their duty to ensure sustainability expands beyond energy efficiency alone. Museums influence communities and preserve cultural diversity, often challenged by globalisation and climate change.

Too often, sustainability in the museum sector is narrowly defined by operational tweaks: paperless tickets, energy-saving heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, recycling bins in visitor cafes. While these are critical starting points, they only scratch the surface. True sustainability is about building museums that can endure – not just physically, but socially, culturally and ethically.

There are several ways in which museums can sustain communities. Photo: Manal Ataya

Museums hold profound social power, from being important national spaces to grassroots community centres. They shape discourse, decide which histories are honoured and which stories told. Such influence carries responsibility. Museums must recognise and embrace their agency to foster resilience and ensure relevance for generations to come.

Grand achievements – mass audiences, high-profile exhibits, institutional prestige – often overshadow smaller commitments, such as community involvement and cultural endurance. The danger is that worthy initiatives risk losing out to visibility and spectacle. Where cultural infrastructure rapidly expands in the Middle East, balance matters critically. So how can flagship museums nourish the whole network, grassroots groups and local cultural centres that are closely engaging with communities?

 Cultural sustainability must extend to sustaining the work culture of people

Museums in the UAE offer an instructive model, where long efforts promote availability, participation, and the use of museums as public spaces – not just visitor destinations but platforms for active cultural participation. Museums can and must amplify unheard voices, showcase diverse narratives and represent underrepresented communities. This activates sustainability. It ensures heritage remains relevant and available to all.

Yet, inclusion must be at the heart of a museum. It cannot be an afterthought or temporary programme — it must inform hiring, programming and overall experiences. Museums must move from speaking of people to speaking with them, guaranteeing communities co-create their stories and have ownership of their representation.

This demands internal sustainability too. Museum workers, from curators and educators to those in visitor services, must feel empowered and supported. As demands on staff increase, underpaid work and limited career growth undermine values of inclusion and sustainability that museums claim to uphold. Cultural sustainability must extend to sustaining the work culture of people.

The urgency of this transformation is particularly evident in the Middle East and Asia, where young populations and fast-developing social landscapes demand that cultural institutions remain adaptable, relevant and responsive. Sustainability here is not just environmental, it’s about sustaining trust, participation and spaces where people feel they belong.

There are positive models emerging. In Sharjah, the museum authority has taken meaningful steps to remove financial barriers and provide inclusive educational experiences.

In Singapore, the National Museum has successfully integrated sustainability into both its operations and its community-focused programmes, demonstrating that sustainability is most effective when it is both internal and external. Sustainability in this context is not merely environmental. It’s about continuing to build trust in the community and continuing involvement where populations feel they fit in.

But much work remains to be done. Museums must evolve into being facilitators, not gatekeepers, places where communities can genuinely shape and own cultural initiatives. Success should not be measured solely by how many visitors pass through the door, but by who participates, how deeply they engage and how long the impact lasts.

Ultimately, the sustainability discussion must be comprehensive and wide reaching. It refers to reducing carbon footprints, yes, but it is also about continuing meaningful human connections, continuing cultural relevance, and ensuring that workplaces have and maintain gender balance and equity. If museums are to be leaders in such a future, they must fully embrace their part as agents of sustainable, inclusive reformation.

The question is no longer whether museums should change, but whether they are prepared to do so.