AMNH Brings Together Climate Science, Culture, and Community Around Climate Week NYC

This September, the American Museum of Natural History will launch a slate of programs and installations in conjunction with Climate Week NYC, an annual gathering of global leaders, activists, and organizations. 

Museum programming (full list below) will run from Tuesday, September 15, through Saturday, September 26, including a vibrant Carnival celebration of Caribbean culture, climate leadership, and community resilience and the return of ClimateFest, a full-day, all-ages event that will bring the science of climate to life, along with our collective opportunities to protect it, through hands-on activities and presentations.

Other highlights include a special installation that transports the Museum’s Arthur Ross Terrace indoors with live trees and birdsong to highlight the importance of New York City’s urban forests, an evening program dedicated to poetry about climate change and our planet, and an event for educators, policymakers, and thought leaders about increasing climate literacy and integrating climate education in the classroom.

Also starting in September, the Museum will update the Climate Wall, a dynamic digital exhibit in the David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, with a visualization sequence about El Niño. El Niño is the warm phase of a multiyear natural climate pattern, and models suggest that this year’s cycle will be exceptionally strong—and possibly record-breaking—with expected impacts on global heat and extreme weather. The new Climate Wall visualization is based on data from NASA, NOAA, and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network of USAID. 

Calendar of Climate Week NYC Programming at the Museum 

Poetry for Our Planet

Tuesday, September 15, 6–8:30 pm
Enjoy poetry readings, take a moment to write and reflect, and join a discussion on climate with celebrated poets Jane Hirshfield, Kimiko Hahn, and Brandon Kilbourne, who is featured in the exhibition Black in Natural History Museums. This after-hours program will unite poetry, climate arts, and community building with readings from each of the poets, an opportunity to participate in a guided writing exercise facilitated by David Hassler, executive director of the Wick Poetry Center, and a panel conversation among the poets and Ana Luz Porzecanski, director of the Museum’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, about how science, nature, and art come together to inspire change, moderated by Miranda Massie, director of the Climate Museum.

This program is presented by the Gottesman Research Library and Learning Center in collaboration with Climate Museum and the Wick Poetry Center’s Poets for Science initiative at Kent State University.  

$15 General Public; $12 Members

Check amnh.org for more information. 

Carnival at the Museum: A Climate Fete 

Wednesday, September 16, 7-11 pm

At the Museum’s Carnival Climate Fete, Caribbean culture, climate leadership, and community resilience take center stage. This festival will bring together music, food, art, science, and storytelling to explore the deep connections between Caribbean traditions, biodiversity, and climate action from island communities across the Caribbean to neighborhoods throughout New York City. Through performances, culinary experiences, interactive programming about extreme weather, and conversations with scientists and community leaders, this Climate Fete will create a dynamic space to celebrate culture, learn about climate challenges, and inspire collective action toward a more sustainable future. 

$30 General Public; $25 Members

This event is 21+ 

When I Am Among the Trees

On view starting September 18

New York City is home to millions of people—and millions of trees. We depend on them to provide shade, keep sidewalks cool, support wildlife, absorb water, and filter air pollution. This installation in the Museum’s North Galleria will extend the Arthur Ross Terrace indoors with live native trees, benches, a birdsong soundscape, information about New York City’s urban forests, and profiles of people taking action to protect and grow the city’s canopy.

Free for Members or with Museum admission 

Climate Education in Action: Teaching NY’s Climate Requirement

Friday, September 25, 5–7:30 pm

Organized by the Museum with SubjectToClimate, the Climate & Resilience Education Taskforce (CRETF), New York City Public Schools Office of Energy and Sustainability, the Climate Mental Health Network (CMHN), and the Yale Program of Climate Change Communication (YPCCC), this event for educators, policymakers, and thought leaders is about increasing climate literacy and integrating climate education in the classroom.

This year’s event will feature a keynote from climate educator Suzie Hicks “The Climate Chick”, followed by inspiring teacher presentations on bringing climate education into the classroom. The evening will conclude with a networking reception, offering attendees the chance to connect with fellow educators and supporting organizations in the climate education space. 

ClimateFest

Saturday, September 26, 11am–4 pm

Join us for a full-day celebration of science, sustainability, and community! This all-ages event brings the science of climate change and its impact on human health to life through hands-on activities, pop-up presentations, and live demonstrations across the Museum.  

On your visit, you will be able to: 

• Explore the Museum’s Climate Learning Lab, designed for ages 8 and up, to find out more about climate, climate change, and what we can do to address our warming planet. (11 am–5 pm) 
• Experience The Garden, an immersive, sensory-friendly outdoor theater performance for children ages five and under and their caregivers. 
• Learn all about the incredible box turtle—where we find these reptiles, why they matter, and more. 

Free for Members or with Museum admission 

Climate Change at the Museum

The American Museum of Natural History’s global mission is to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibition. Through this work, the Museum addresses the most pressing challenges of our day, including the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, through activities that include:

• scientific research on how changes in past, present, and future climate influence our planet, biodiversity, human cultures, and our wellbeing
• educating the public and preparing educators to teach about the drivers of biodiversity loss, including climate change, and their local and global effects on people and life on Earth
• providing tools and resources, through exhibitions and public programs, that foster deeper understanding and meaningful dialogue
• working with partners, from researchers to community-based organizations, government agencies, and public schools, to study these environmental challenges, inform the public, amplify solutions, and connect people to action