Climate change mitigation and adaptation of museums in Egypt

Abstract

What has climate change got to do with museums? Climate change will impact all aspects of life everywhere, which means that climate change is relevant to all museums, and they can all fulfill roles in addressing climate change. Museums can incorporate climate change into their exhibitions, events and educational programmes, whatever their subject matter. These activities help support the elements of Action for Climate Empowerment, namely education, training, public awareness and public access to information. Museums can support climate action in other ways beyond their programming. For example, research based on collections may contribute to a better understanding of the impacts of climate change; making the results of such research available to the public in programmes would contribute to the elements of Action for Climate Empowerment. Museums can also address climate change directly through their operations, as they often consume vast amounts of energy and resources that contribute to climate change: curtailing their own emissions is one of the most important ways they can play their part in addressing the climate crisis. Museums are further implicated since many are publically funded institutions, with a reasonable attendant expectation that they could use public funding for public good. The particular role of museums as players in sustainable development was recognized most clearly in the UNESCO ‘Recommendation concerning the protection and promotion of museums and collections, their diversity and their role in society’ (UNESCO 2016). It is surely no coincidence that this Recommendation was made in the same year that the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement were agreed upon. While climate change is not specifically mentioned in the UNESCO Recommendation, the intent of the Recommendation is aimed at protecting and promoting cultural and natural heritage (which are of course threatened by climate change), advancing human rights, and fulfilling a positive social purpose. Nonetheless, while museums were heavily implicated in the original UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, they have been rather slow to address climate change in meaningful and impactful ways. This situation has improved in the last 10 years or so, and activity is ramping up rapidly, but there is a long way to go and not much time to do it in. In this paper, we explore two questions: 1) how can museums help people develop their understanding of what climate change means to them? and 2) how can museums help facilitate a response to the climate challenge?