Climate Change Exhibit at the Museum of Natural History in New York, New York

The Climate Change exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City comes at a pertinent time. Entitled "The Threat to Life and a New Energy Future," the exhibit outlines in an organized manner the facts about climate change and what the future holds for the human species as we try to cope with ever-changing weather patterns, rising temperatures and decreases in natural resources.

The causes of global warming remain a source of heated debate among scientists and political leaders; however, the fact that climate change is occurring is indisputable, as this exhibit demonstrates. Rapid and erratic climate change as we are currently experiencing threatens the livelihood of numerous habitats and species, including our own. The Climate Change exhibit identifies all the problems posed by climate change, and the repercussions the Earth is likely to sustain in the future.

Although climate change has been a normal occurrence on Earth during its entire existence, the climate change we are experiencing right now is very important and different from what Earth has faced in the past for one crucial reason. This time, humans are directly causing this change and the impact is being felt by animals and plants worldwide; the changes can be seen in the ice, atmosphere, oceans and land world-wide. The exhibit explores how climate change is affecting all these areas, describing how humans are causing harm and ultimately, showing what we can do to help.

Here is a tasting of a few key points I learned from the exhibit:

-Climate change is likely to affect the spread of disease - causing new diseases to form or spread easier than in the past

-Construction of residential and commercial buildings is actually responsible for one third of global gas emissions as well as 40% of the solid waste world-wide because of the waste produced during demolition and construction.

-The intensity of storms in the US will continue to increase directly because of climate change.

-Since the early 1900s, the number of cars on the road has increased by more than 650 million. It is expected that annual demand in some rapidly-growing countries will be up to 1 million cars per year

This exhibit is a wealth of information and a source of great ideas to increase each visitor's contribution to preserving the environment and protecting against climate change. You will learn about what adaptations we have made to the current climate change, the lessons we have learned and how we are coping with things such as rising sea levels and changing land. It discusses the building of new types of foundations, barriers and the management of limited resources. Learning in more detail about water and the threat that water scarcity poses to global livelihood in detail was eye-opening. With climate change, there is an expected increase in the amount of droughts we experience. Limited water resources coupled with an increasing population world-wide means that demand for water will be increasing sharply when supplies decrease. In the US, we often take water for granted and don't pay much attention to water conservation.

Check out the website

I was highly impressed by how thorough, interactive and educational this exhibit's website is. If you aren't able to visit the museum, I highly recommend that you spend some time online reading the information on climate change.

If you have children, they will love the kids section of the site. By clicking on http://www.amnh.org/ology/?channel=climatechange&c, your children will have access to a wealth of information specifically targeted to young children. On the site, they can do things such as build a terrarium, play games, take quizzes, find book lists to learn more about climate change, ask questions to scientists, and learn how to become an energy saver.

Making a site like this available and accessible to children further emphasizes the main point of the exhibit: we can all make a difference if we adopt some good habits early on. Millions of people practicing the same good habits will doubtlessly make a difference in climate change and in the way we adapt to protect our environment.

Visitor Information:

You can easily find information about planning your visit on the Museum of Natural History's website. We went on a weekend and it was a tourist frenzy; we were dodging a lot of strollers. If you have the time, a weekday may be more relaxed.

The museum is open daily, 10am-5:45pm. You can call (212) 769-5100 for detailed and up to date information on visiting the museum or any of the exhibits currently on display. You can also purchase advance tickets online. We took the subway to the museum. You can either take the B or C to 81st street. There is an entrance to the museum right from the subway but this entrance was very crowded so we used the front entrance on the outside, facing the park.

Because the museum is right on Central Park, we enjoyed a nice stroll after visiting the Climate Change exhibit. This would be ideal for families, especially on a nice day.

The address is:

Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY 10024-5192

The Climate Change exhibit at the Museum of Natural History is open October 18, 2008 until August 16 2009.

Source: www.amnh.org