Our Shared Future: Life on a sustainable Planet
Secretary Bunch unveils the Smithsonian’s Climate Change Action Plan.
I am pleased to announce the publication of the Smithsonian’s Climate Change Action Plan. As we come together to address our shared future on a sustainable planet, we at the Smithsonian can lead by example in addressing our most urgent climate risks.
I want to thank the many offices and individuals that developed this plan including the Climate Action Plan Working Group and the many contributors, all of whom are listed at the end of the report and who represent a wide cross-section of the Smithsonian’s activities. This was a One Smithsonian effort to identify and develop a plan forward, and I am pleased that share the results of that collaborative effort.
Our Climate Change Action Plan focuses on the Smithsonian’s climate-related priorities for public programming, research endeavors, collections management activities, administrative processes, and facilities infrastructure to help us not only mitigate the risks we are currently facing, but also create a more sustainable future. We house the nation’s scientific and cultural heritage and as such, must act as stewards to ensure future generations are able to be inspired by our collections, research and impressive spaces.
The Smithsonian’s plan strives to protect our buildings and grounds and to educate and inspire the public. The actions we take will care for the health and prosperity of the multitude of communities where we and our visitors live and work and will include a focus on environmental justice.
Our commitment to addressing the climate crisis, one of the greatest challenges of our lifetime, does not stop with the Climate Change Action Plan. I have asked the Under Secretary for Science and Research to develop an initiative that strengthens our commitment to better understanding and making Earth’s interconnected systems more resilient to climate change. Our Shared Future: Life on a Sustainable Planet, currently under review, sets goals to help the Smithsonian increase sustainability in all that we do – goals that align closely with the Smithsonian mission of the increase and diffusion of knowledge.
Together, the Climate Change Action Plan and Our Shared Future: Life on a Sustainable Planet will provide a roadmap of priorities as we create a more sustainable and climate-ready Smithsonian and educate and inform staff and visitors about creating positive environmental change.
I invite you to read the Climate Change Action Plan and ask yourself how you can support Smithsonian’s climate and sustainability initiatives. Together, our actions today will protect the health and prosperity of our museums, our communities, and the larger world for generations to come.
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Posted: 5 November 2021
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