Theodore Roosevelt, one the founders of AMNH, put it beautifully:

The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value. These words, etched in stone on your building, carry a profound message.

Now, it’s evident—we’re in the midst of a climate and ecological breakdown. Science, society, and politics are intricately interconnected. The present socioeconomic system can’t shield life from the crises to come; it is designed to borrow from future generations to maintain current lifestyles. If the AMNH, a beloved 153-year-old institution dedicated to Earth’s history, biodiversity, cultures, and the universe, does not emphasize the urgency, the public is kept in the dark. AMNH’s continued inaction signals that the chances of our civilization, along with the survival of all species, are slim. Business as usual cannot continue.

The Atlantic meridian ocean current is slowing to a halt. [1] The state of our migratory species is disastrous. [2] California recently had two years of rain in a single day. [3] Since the 1980s, each decade has been hotter than the last. [4] In the past nine years, each year has been hotter than the last. [5] 2023 broke—no, shattered—climate records so much so that new parameters had to be drawn into graphs used for measuring it. [6] We have now reached the dreaded 1.5C difference from preindustrial times. [7] None of this is hyperbole. This is all science. We’re in a climate crisis that is largely causing the sixth mass extinction. [8] This reality forces us into our finest hour, our reckoning as the human race. This reality is not mentioned anywhere in the science museum. Instead, hidden in the basement is a tepid, albeit large, exhibit about climate change. Most of the data is over 10 years old and is expressed in language that understates the monumental crisis we are in.

References:

[1] Warning of a forthcoming collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation | Nature Communications

[2] Landmark UN report: The world’s migratory species of animals are in decline, and the global extinction risk is increasing (unep.org)

[3] California rainfall totals shown in graphics (usatoday.com)

[4] Chart: Each Decade Hotter Than the Last | Statista

[5] Earth’s Last 8 Years Were the Hottest on Record - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

[6] 7 Climate Records That Were Broken in 2023 (globalcitizen.org)

[7] World breaches key 1.5C warming mark for record number of days (bbc.com)

[8] What is mass extinction and are we facing a sixth one? | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)

[9] Earth on verge of five catastrophic climate tipping points, Scientists warn”, The Guardian, December 5, 2023