Tel Aviv University Unveils New Climate Change Exhibition
Judi Lax of TAU presents the new exhibit (Press Release)
Tel Aviv University has opened a new exhibition about climate change, “Global Warning: The Climate, the Crisis and Us”. Considering the current spate of heatwaves around the world, it seems that TAU has a good sense of timing. Israel is currently going through a heatwave of 90 degrees plus (as high as 35 degrees Celcius) which is expected to last for the next ten days.
They keep on reporting in the news in Israel that the country can expect to go through periods of warmer than average weather. This seems to have been happening during every summer season for years now. Soon they will have to just accept that this is the new normal and anything under 90 degrees will be called cooler than normal.
The exhibition: Global Warning The Climate, the Crisis and Us (Photo: Dor Kimchi press release)
And this is not just related to heatwaves. Recent floods experienced in Germany and China, located on opposite sides of the world, can be blamed on global climate change. The added heat and carbon emissions have caused greater retention of water vapor in the air. This has made everything more humid in places where there had previously been little humidity.
In addition to that, the water vapor stays in the atmosphere. So when it does rain, it storms. This is why there have been such violent storms that brought down more rain in a day than in the previous year.
So it is because of all of this, and more, the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at the Tel Aviv University has established the exhibition “Global Warning: The Climate, the Crisis and Us”, which encourages the public to learn more about the subject and become ambassadors who will lead the long-awaited change.
The museum’s administration has explained that they wish to educate the Israeli public on the science behind the concepts that we keep hearing about in the news regarding climate change. This includes the greenhouse effect, global warming and carbon footprints.
The exhibition, which the museum has been working on for over a year, guides the visitors to the sea, land, glaciers and forests, in the past, present and future. It presents current scientific findings and basic concepts in the field in simple terms and through interactive means, such as videos, thermal cameras that expose thermal gases that surround us, and more.
It uncovers the dire consequences of the climate crisis here in Israel and worldwide, and illustrates the impact of our daily choices as individuals. Everything is not lost; the exhibition illuminates how we can counteract the changes that are causing the crisis and reduce the harm caused to us and the environment.
The various stations of the exhibition show how popular tourist spots may look like in 20 years from now, what the atmospheric composition was thousands of years ago, and what it may be in a few decades from now. The connection between allergies and global warming is explained, as well as what it will be like when sea level reaches our shoulders. You can even check what your personal carbon footprint is, by the help of an online calculator which was developed especially for the exhibition and is the first of its kind in Israel.
Read more about: climate change, Tel Aviv University
