Hot Science Global Citizens: Research Insights for Museum Victoria 2012

Climate change is the most serious global threat facing the world (Stern 2006). The science is clear. The Earth‘s climate is warming (IPCC 2007:2). But controversy centres around the scale and pace of future impacts and what regulations, policies and investments might ameliorate damage locally and globally (IPCC 2001; Steffen 2006:4). Climate change affects the whole planet, and viable solutions on what to do must include dialogues and decision-making with communities across the globe. Hot Science, Global Citizens: the Agency of the Museum Sector operates within this gap, using an interdisciplinary approach to develop new knowledge about what constitutes effective action around climate change, and how it can be represented and debated in local and global public spheres. It looks to the museum sector - natural history, science museums and science centres - to play a role as resource, catalyst and change agent in climate change debates and decision-making, as unique public spaces where science, government, industry, society and NGOs can meet, where knowledge can be mediated, competing discourses and agendas tabled and debated, and innovative decision-making platforms created.