The Climate Action Show exhibit opened at Science North today during a ceremony whose guest list included Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Between the new exhibit at Science North, two traveling displays and a digital version of the exhibit, Science North director Julie Moskalyk estimates approximately two-million young people will take in its climate change lessons.
It’s an immersive 18-minute experience with objects, a tablet which allows people to choose their own adventure, a main video screen and “unusual surprises,” Moskalyk said prior to launching the exhibit’s inaugural showing this morning.
“You come out of there with an incredible treasure trove of knowledge that is inspiring and exciting, so when people leave here, they know what they’re going to do and the areas they want to focus on.”
The exhibit at Science North, two travelling exhibits and a digital version were funded via a $6-million grant from the federal government and a $250,000 grant from the City of Greater Sudbury and Greater Sudbury Development Corporation.
“All projects are designed to better our understanding of the role we all play in helping Canada reach its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” according to a media release issued by Science North, which Mayor Brian Bigger reiterated today by citing the city’s commitment to net-zero by 2050.
Called “Our Climate Quest: Small Steps to Big Change,” Moskalyk said the two travelling exhibits include a smaller 100-square-metre exhibit which recently opened in Niagara Falls as part of a cross-Canada tour, and a second 600-square-foot exhibit to hit up larger urban communities across the country beginning in November.
During his remarks with local media, Guilbeault noted public education is one of the key pillars of climate action, which the local exhibit and its travelling counterparts will contribute to.
“More and more people are acting because more and more people understand what is going on, but we can do more, and we can do better,” he said.
“How many parents have had conversation with their kids who have learned about climate change from school or an exhibit (like that at Science North), so they can be a real catalyst of action not just at the individual or household level, but also at a community level.”
Invoking the words of world-renowned scientist Dr. Jane Goodall from her appearance at Bell Park on Thursday, Guilbeault said although “the climate crisis is urgent … it’s important to show the reasons for hope, to youth and all of our population.”
Youths are an ideal path toward public understanding of the serious impacts of climate change, Nickel Belt Liberal MP Marc Serré said.
“A lot of the adults are complacent, and people in Northern Ontario want to drive the big pickup trucks and not necessarily having the infrastructure in place with transit, so we’ve got to do a lot more education,” he told local media.
“When you meet with the youth, they really educate us, they’re really pushing us, and they’re looking at the future.”
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
