In 2017, Leading Culture Destinations (LCD) and SUNx introduced the inaugural ‘Climate smART Award', which recognises a museum or large-scale public art project that has made a significant educational contribution to the fight against climate change. Its focus is on initiatives which transform public behaviour towards a more sustainable climate resilient future.
The award is given by a jury made up of travel and tourism thought leaders, and sustainability experts, and is led by Professor Geoffrey Lipman, President of SUNx Malta.
Shortlisted candidates for the award were:
- - Klimahuset Oslo Natural History Museum (Oslo, Norway)
- - Australian Museum (Sydney, Australia)
- - Hveragerði’s LÁ Art Gallery (Hveragerði, Iceland) for ‘Norðrið’
This year the jury voted the Australian Museum (AM) as the winner. A fine choice for this year's Climate SmART Award, coming as it does just after the third and final part of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report – the latest and most urgent call for immediate climate action.
The AM has a mission to "ignite wonder, inspire debate and drive change" and it is an excellent example of how an established institution is tackling the transition to sustainability and also of what SUNx defines as Climate Friendly Travel. Paris 1.5, Zero GHG 2050 and alignment with the SDG for 2030.
It is doing this in two ways – raising public awareness through climate education, research and outreach – with permanent and temporary exhibitions, accessible resources and touring projects to diversify public engagement. A new expansion of climate communications with a Climate Solutions Centre will be launching soon, with a focus on available green technologies, nature-based solutions and Indigenous knowledge. The AM hopes to grow as a platform for communities to share their climate stories and experiences and stay connected.
On another front, the AM is also seriously addressing greenhouse gas emission reductions across operations, along with waste, water, and energy management, entailing retrofits to existing heritage buildings and staff education.
Australian Museum Director and CEO Kim McKay AO thanked LCD and SUNx for recognising the AM’s sustainability efforts and commitment to transforming the conversation around climate change with the inaugural ‘Climate smART Award.’
“Museums are trusted sources of information and have a duty to communicate important topics like climate change to the public. The Australian Museum, informed by First Nations knowledges as well as the scientists in our world-leading Australian Museum Research Institute, is well-placed to make a strong contribution to understanding and responding to climate change,” Ms McKay said.
“One of our key missions is to inspire understanding and engagement in solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss. We work to advance the conversation, through touring and on-site exhibitions, digital resources, and events. I’d like to acknowledge and thank Dr Jenny Newell, our manager of Climate Change projects for her work on this to date. We are proud to receive this award recognising the AM’s work in this space, alongside other leading institutions from Norway and Iceland. We hope to inspire other organisations to join us in mitigating the effects of climate change and providing a positive vision of the future that we can all work towards,” Ms McKay added.
Geoffrey Lipman said:
“It is increasingly clear from the latest IPCC Report, that the Climate Crisis poses an eXistential threat and that extreme weather disasters are intensifying. We must act now and we must act fast if we are to avoid irreparable changes to the planet. Museums and public art play an essential role in raising public perception of the importance of urgent Climate Action, which is why we are so proud to partner with LCD on this award.”
