Earlier this year The Kresge Foundation published Rising to the Challenge, Together: A Review and Critical Assessment of the US Climate Adaptation Field.
It is incredibly valuable. It is a snapshot of the field of
climate adaptation as a developing practice, and provides a description of what
it must become to effect change.
It is so well-written and researched that anything
other than sharing it directly would diminish it considerably. The material in
blue, below, is taken directly from the report - but I have selected the pieces
that align most specifically with the mission of museums in their communities. These
are excerpts
I believe reflect the current state of adaptation in the museum field, and a
vision of what we can aspire to – in practice and in professional expectations.
Current Conditions
Profession
• Despite some progress,
practice is not yet advanced to implementation except in limited circumstances.
• Incremental progress in
adaptation does not match the accelerating pace of climate change.
• Awareness, understanding, and
acceptance of the need for transformative change is present among some, but
extremely limited across the field as a whole.
Practice
• Tools supporting adaptation
are increasingly available, but remain difficult to select and use.
• The field is experimenting widely,
but not yet discerning best practices.
• Practice is advancing, but
barriers stymie progress from planning to action.
Vision
Profession
• It understands its
mission as preventing, minimizing, and alleviating climate change threats to
human well-being and to the natural and built systems on which humans depend.
• It works to create new
opportunities by addressing the causes and consequences of climate change in
ways that solve related social, environmental, and economic problems.
Practice
• Rigorous professional
standards and certification are established, based on guiding principles that
can be applied to diverse contexts.
• The field facilitates social
networking, trust building, and collaboration at scale.
• Actors help communities
envision—and achieve—desirable futures
The museum field continuously assesses and
decides how to respond to changes in the professions that interact with our
work, and changes in the public’s interests. Climate change – how to mitigate
it and how to adapt to it – is something we can no longer avoid and still feel
we are serving our communities well.
This report can help our profession
embrace the profession of climate adaptation as our ally. What these professionals
know and are learning can help us protect our collections and our buildings,
while helping to keep our staff and our public safe at the same time. And it
will save us money in the long term, and save more than a few of our
institutions as well.
Note: The Kresge Foundation funded the report. The work was prepared by Suzanne Moser Research and Consulting (susannemoser.com), Climate Resilience Consulting (climateresilience.com), and FourTwentySeven Climate Solutions (427mt.com).
