Should Museums Stop Talking Directly About Climate Change?

At the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), conversations about climate change are woven into exhibitions, research, and public programming. Soren Brothers, the Allen and Helene Schiff Curator of Climate Change, spends his days exploring how museums can address this urgent issue.

However, in a recent presentation for the Green Museums Summit, he proposed an intriguing idea: perhaps museums should, at times, stop talking directly about climate change.

Why Step Back from Direct Climate Change Conversations?

Soren outlines three key reasons museums might want to shift how they approach conversations about climate change:

1. Reducing Emotional Barriers: Climate change is an emotionally charged topic. While some audiences are dismissive, others experience eco-anxiety and may avoid discussions altogether. By focusing on relatable, local examples—such as the benefits of car-free urban spaces—museums can sidestep these emotional barriers and still highlight sustainable solutions. However, it’s worth acknowledging a potential criticism: by avoiding direct conversations about climate change, there is a risk of diminishing the sense of urgency required to address such a critical global issue. Museums must carefully balance indirect approaches with moments of direct, fact-based communication to ensure the message remains impactful.
2. Focusing on Shared Values: Shifting the conversation towards shared societal goals—like cleaner air, safer neighbourhoods, or resilient urban spaces—can foster broader support. For example, Toronto’s car-free communities are not just sustainable; they also offer quieter, safer, and more connected lifestyles. These universally appealing benefits can drive progress without immediate reference to carbon footprints.
3. Finding Tangible Optimism: Climate change discussions often feel abstract or insurmountable. Instead, focusing on positive local projects—like Toronto’s Portland Flood Protection Project or the recovery of the Don River wetlands—can generate real optimism and encourage public engagement.

Lessons from Toronto: Practical Examples

Soren highlights Toronto’s ambitious urban projects as case studies. The Portland Flood Protection Project, a $1.3 billion initiative, is transforming industrial wastelands into flood-resilient, biodiverse neighbourhoods. While the project addresses climate resilience, it also creates spaces that are intrinsically valuable to the community.

Similarly, Ontario’s coal phase-out initiative between 2005 and 2014 drastically improved air quality. Although the programme had climate benefits, public support largely hinged on the immediate health improvements it delivered.

Beyond Toronto, other cities worldwide are adopting similar approaches. In Amsterdam, a focus on cycling infrastructure has not only reduced carbon emissions but also improved public health and reduced traffic congestion. Meanwhile, in Singapore, the creation of green spaces and vertical gardens in urban areas has enhanced biodiversity and improved air quality.

Museums as Storytellers of Transformation

Museums are uniquely positioned to share these stories. At ROM, exhibitions such as Noelle Hamlyn: Lifers and Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity demonstrate how art, history, and science intersect with environmental narratives. Public programmes, including collaborations with photographers documenting environmental recovery projects, further amplify these stories.

Other museums globally are also innovating. The Natural History Museum in London has integrated climate resilience narratives into their urban biodiversity exhibits, while the American Museum of Natural History in New York highlights sustainable urban planning projects in interactive displays. These examples show how museums can use local and global stories to foster engagement.

Soren also emphasizes the value of museum collections in shaping these conversations. For example, sediment cores from Crawford Lake, designated as a Golden Spike site for the Anthropocene Epoch, offer powerful insights into humanity’s lasting environmental impacts.

Addressing Counterarguments

While this approach has many strengths, it is not without potential pitfalls. Critics may argue that reframing the climate change conversation risks diluting its urgency or minimizing its global scope. Additionally, focusing solely on local or relatable examples could overlook the interconnectedness of global environmental systems. Museums must therefore strike a careful balance, ensuring that indirect approaches complement rather than replace more direct discussions about climate change.

Moving Forward: A Broader Climate Conversation

Soren concludes with an important distinction: stopping direct conversations about climate change doesn’t mean reducing engagement with the topic. Instead, it means reframing these discussions to connect with people’s values, emotions, and lived experiences.

Stopping direct conversations about climate change doesn’t mean stepping away from the topic. Instead, it’s about finding ways to reframe the conversation—connecting with people’s values, emotions, and everyday experiences to inspire action in a way that feels meaningful and accessible. – Soren Brothers

Whether through highlighting urban resilience projects, examining historical environmental events, or simply showcasing the benefits of greener neighbourhoods, museums have countless ways to inspire action. And sometimes, the most effective way to talk about climate change might just be… not talking about it directly at all.

Catalysts for Hope, Optimism, and Collective Action 

In an era of immense change, museums like ROM are not just sites of reflection but also catalysts for hope, optimism, and collective action. By balancing local and global examples, addressing criticisms thoughtfully, and fostering conversations rooted in shared values, museums can play a pivotal role in driving meaningful environmental progress.

This shift isn’t about avoiding difficult topics but about ensuring that those topics are presented in ways that resonate with diverse audiences. And in doing so, museums can bridge divides, spark curiosity, and inspire action for a more sustainable future.

Soren Brothers from Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) spoke at the Green Museums Summit 2024.