Climate versus culture: how Canadian museums are confronting the climate crisis

ABSTRACT

It has become widely accepted in the popular imaginary of Canada that humans are a major driving factor in the climate crisis. More recently, many large-scale museums and cultural institutions have either encouraged climate action through exhibitions or by altering their own practices to reflect a more eco-conscious approach. However, these efforts are not yet widespread and many museums struggle to identify the impact they have on the environment. Results from an original survey and an extensive literature review point to three main barriers preventing museums from adopting sustainable practices; lack of material resources, lack of funding, and lack of education and training on climate science.

KEYWORDS:

• Museums
• environmental sustainability
• Canadian museums
• climate change
• climate action
• sustainable museums

Acknowledgements

I would first and foremost like to acknowledge and thank the Quw'utsun, Malahat, Ts'uubaa- asatx, Halalt, Penelakut, Stz'uminus, & Lyackson Peoples on whose lands I live and have spent the majority of my time researching, writing, and learning on.

There are a number of institutions and individuals I would like to thank for their support in the research for this paper. Thank you to all of the institutions and individuals that took the time to participate in my survey, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for granting me the Joseph Armand Bombardier (CGS-M) scholarship, Dr. Norman Vorano, Dr. Kirsty Robertson of Western University, my personal editor and best friend, Jessica Matthys, my parents, Dane Lawson, Molly and Taylor Burnett, Adam Mulder, and many others for being there to help me see the brighter side of things.

Thank you,

Huy tseep q'u,

Dayna

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The term “going green” is broadly used across disciplines to mean adopting practices that are environmentally conscious. The term is in quotations here as it is used as a buzzword by governments and corporations as a marketing tactic with the goal of encouraging people and businesses to reduce their environmental impact.

2 For an example of a museum’s sustainability plan, use the link below to read the Redpath Museum’s (n.d.) Climate and Sustainability Action Plan https://www.mcgill.ca/redpath/files/redpath/redpath_museum_action_plan.pdf

3 For a complete list of figures of the survey results, use this link to view the dataset. https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/83vxxdxxrt.

4 While the research from Brophy and Wylie is older than the rest of the literature I review, it still provides a foundation from which to review the current literature, and was invaluable in helping frame the interpretation of my survey results.

5 The large portion of museums that have upgraded their HVAC technology may also demonstrate how much time has passed since Brophy and Wylie conducted their research. There has been a significant increase in energy efficient systems since 2006, which most organizations, cultural institutions included, have switched to using.

6 https://www.mcgill.ca/redpath/files/redpath/redpath_museum_action_plan.pdf.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Notes on contributors

Dayna Obbema

Dayna Obbema (M.A.) is a graduate from Queen’s University and settler researcher in Canada. Her research focuses on identifying the barriers preventing museums and cultural institutions in Canada from achieving their sustainability goals and theorizing practical solutions to mitigate these barriers.