At the end of last year, leaders from over 190 countries gathered in Copenhagen to negotiate what should have been a statement of global agreement in the fight against climate change.
Instead, we are left with the feeble Copenhagen Accord, which falls far short of the reductions necessary to protect ecological integrity. This lack of political will is a disaster.
The Copenhagen Accord recognises the need to keep the global increase in temperature below 2 degrees Celsius. But it does not contain the commitment to emission reductions that might help achieve that goal. Without binding commitments, global emissions are almost certain to rise.
It is now probably too late to prevent global temperature increases. We all need to start thinking about these inevitable changes to the climate, and how we will adapt to them.
What are the implications for museums? Warmer temperatures, heavier rainfall and less predictable weather patterns will increasingly prevail in the next decade. Museums, even in high-risk areas, have generally not started to examine the impact that climate change could have.
How resilient is your museum to a freak flood? Are your archives and stores in the basement, where they are susceptible to water damage? What about a heat wave that could affect visitor health? Road buckling that prevents your exhibits from arriving on time? Once in the museum, are your exhibits insulated from extremes of temperature and humidity?
Museums must respond to the risks, and quickly. Risk assessments and forward planning must take into consideration the impact of dangerous climate change. Risks to buildings and other assets must be examined in detail.
New buildings should have climate resilience built in. We will need to determine which risks we are willing to live with, and which we are not. It should even be considered whether some assets are simply too precious to put on display in such a hazardous environment.
That’s the doom and gloom part of the picture. But climate adaptation also affords opportunities for visitor engagement. This is by no means limited to science museums. Artists are increasingly responding to climate change.
Many events at Copenhagen focused on the role of the arts in educating and communicating with society. A recent Channel 4 TV documentary series put climate change in historical context, partly by considering archaeological evidence.
Was Copenhagen a disaster as far as museums are concerned? It could be, if museums don’t wake up to the risks and take action.
But there are also opportunities for all museums to engage with issues that matter to audiences, and increase the relevance of their programming. And you don’t need to wait for an increase in temperature to get started.
Rachel Madan is the director of Greener Museums
