Abstract

Museums hold the power to influence and educate the public about the climate crisis in diverse ways. User-friendly exhibition work provides accessible ways to understand scientific concepts and innovation. By offering intergenerational experiences, museums make learning available to broader audiences outside of traditional academic and professional settings, where education and fun can be intertwined. In Canada, museums are considered trusted and sound pedagogical institutions of knowledge and therefore could play a unique role in the climate crisis. Given the evolving social climate, Canadian museums have the opportunity to examine the unique power they hold, consider how they can expand beyond traditionalist methodology, and engage with education, community, advocacy, and the climate crisis. This study examines the perspectives of Canadian museum professionals to look at what has happened, what is happening, what ought to happen, and what barriers stand in the way of Canadian museums engaging in climate crisis education and outreach. The results demonstrate that the Canadian museum sector has traditionally focused on knowledge, preservation, and public education, but participants noted that internal sustainability practices and community engagement remain limited. Further, participants asserted that there must be a paradigmatic shift within the sector and museums must adopt more holistic sustainability goals, prioritize inclusive programming, and address colonial methodologies while overcoming barriers like tradition, funding, and time constraints in order to be effective actors in addressing the climate crisis.