Museums across the UK are teaming up to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis.
As reported by the Guardian, museum representatives, organisations and funders took part in a ‘UK Museum Cop’ at Tate Modern in London last week.
In a statement, the art institutions described the event as a “first ever joint commitment for collective action.”
Museums are “institutions with a long-term view. Many have collections relating to the Earth’s five previous mass extinction events, and we are now in the midst of the sixth, the Anthropocene.
“Leaders feel they have an ethical obligation to take action to alleviate that damage,” the statement added.
They pledged to use their “collections, programmes and exhibitions to engage audiences with the climate crisis and inspire them to take positive action”; to manage collections sustainably; to develop and implement decarbonisation plans; and to increase biodiversity in museums’ green spaces.
National Museum Director’s Council chair Maria Balshaw said: “Museums and galleries have a unique perspective as institutions that have to take a long-term view with their mission to preserve collections and stories for the long future.
“The conference agreed a series of vital actions to reduce the environmental impact of museums and show how they can inspire positive action for our public.”
Galleries have been in the spotlight due to fossil fuel-related sponsorships. Earlier this year, British Museum ended its sponsorship with BP after final-BP sponsored exhibition “Hieroglyphs: Unlocking Ancient Egypt.”
The Tate, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Shakespeare Company, Scottish Ballet and Royal Opera House have all ended partnerships of many decades with the energy giant in recent years.
