I hadn’t been to the Museum of Natural History in years, so it was cool to go back and see all that has changed! And it’s not just the removal of the racist and offensive Teddy Roosevelt statue; they have also made a conscious effort to integrate climate change information throughout the museum. On my visit, I was particularly drawn to the Hall of Earth. This exhibit is a particularly interactive exhibit that discusses the earth’s formation, climates over earth’s history, and human-accelerated climate change today.
One major feature of the Hall of Earth is a large screen that projects different global data visualizations. At one moment it is chasing different storms through the years, demonstrating the increasing occurrence of these types of weather systems as climate change worsens. I think this visualization is really important because I think one of the major ways that people understand the threat of climate change today is through their experience in various harmful weather events.
The screen on the wall also breaks down the reason for this accelerated warming. It shows energy usage from around the globe and also a timeline of climate change through history. The lines move fairly steadily up and down and then after the industrial revolution the line skyrockets up, really dramatically demonstrating the increase in warming due to human activity. This exhibit is really well done and really breaks things down well, especially for museum-goers who may not be as familiar with the concept of climate change.
Elsewhere in the hall, there are more subtle ways in which the topic of climate change is brought up. What starts as an exhibit about the earth’s core and geothermal activity once again circles back to the topic of climate change. It starts by discussing the ways that sulfide chimneys heat up the bottom of the ocean and provide food for bacteria down there and then shifts into a discussion of ocean acidification and coral bleaching. It reiterates what we have learned in this class about how pumping more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere also increases the amount of carbon dioxide trapped in the oceans. They even have a bleached coral rock on display so you can see just how dull and drab it looks compared to how it is supposed to look.
I think it’s really great that the museum has decided to weave in information about climate change through more of the exhibits. As we have learned in this class, climate change intersects with so many other issues in our world so it really does not make sense to limit it to one area of life, especially at a museum of natural history, since it necessarily affects all life on our planet. Additionally, the more that people make the connection between climate change and other issues, the more they will begin to see how it permeates every decision we make. Hopefully, they will be more committed to taking a stand against it.
Seeing this exhibit really made me reflect on all the ways that I have been a bad steward to the environment. I oscillate between feeling hopeless about the situation and feeling motivated to take every action I can. Just this week when my friend and I forgot to bring bags to the grocery store and I insisted that we not take the bag the store offered my friend said to me, “Do you really think refusing one paper bag is going to make a difference when celebrities are taking flights between LA and Van Nuys?” I had to admit he had a point, I do feel that too much onus is placed on individuals to make changes in an effort to divert attention away from Oil & Gas, animal agriculture, fast fashion, the US military, and other enormous polluters. At the same time, if we all took collective action to fly and drive less, eat less meat, and buy fewer clothes then many of these gargantuan corporations would lose some of their power and reduce their impact on climate change. I suppose it is all about balance! You can refuse an extra bag, take public transit more, and call on leaders to do better; these actions are not mutually exclusive.