Taking Action
We need a wave of civic engagement and collective action to implement our climate solutions.
Taking Action, the fourth exhibition of the Climate Museum, was presented from June 1—October 27, 2019 on beautiful Governors Island.
Taking Action mobilized tactile exhibits, maps, physical interactives, and a custom app to deepen understanding, strengthen connections, and create a wave of individual and collective action on the climate crisis.
Scroll down to see a short time lapse video capturing the wave of actions taken by visitors.
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When it comes to the climate crisis, the majority of people in the United States are worried but inactive. We tend to underestimate the public consensus that already exists on climate, which can lead to a sense of isolation. And as an isolated individual, because the problem exists on a global scale, it is easy to feel powerless about addressing it.
While this dynamic has changed dramatically in a hopeful way, the self-reinforcing cycle of silence, isolation, and passivity remains largely intact. Taking Action was an exhibition intended to help reverse this cycle by providing guidance and support on specific civic actions we can take together for climate progress.
The exhibition consisted of three main rooms.
The first room encouraged visitors to explore proven carbon mitigation strategies—i.e. climate solutions.
The second exposed some of the daunting reasons these solutions are not being implemented.
In the third room, visitors took targeted actions that address these barriers to progress. Represented by corresponding stickers, these actions aggregated over the duration of the exhibition and visualize the collective nature of effective climate action.
The show as a whole was inspired by the transformative youth climate movement, which invited all of us to take a fresh look at the imperative of breaking with business as usual, both in the world and in our own minds. The exhibition was staffed primarily by high school volunteers during the summer months.
Together we can and must move forward by taking action.
Taking Action was located on beautiful Governors Island, home to many other innovative cultural and environmental programs.