A new exhibition at the Climate Museum in New York City shines a spotlight on the “biggest barrier we’re facing to combating climate change.”
Tucked away between rows of luxury fashion and beauty stores in Manhattan’s SoHo shopping district, the Climate Museum has the quality of being hidden in plain sight. Stepping inside, I wondered if passersby might feel hesitant to check out an exhibition called “The End of Fossil Fuel” on their way to Ray Ban or Canada Goose. Is it ironic to critique the fossil fuel industry at the focal point of consumerism?
The curators of the exhibition don’t think so — they say the location helps drive conversations about individual action in a world shaped by corporate disinformation and greed. It’s a major theme of the exhibit: how Big Oil companies work to make individuals feel responsible for the climate crisis, while those same companies deceive the public about solutions and lobby to prevent a transition away from fossil fuels. At one panel in the exhibit, you can learn about how BP pioneered the “personal carbon footprint calculator” (that one’s always a shocker, I’m told).