It’s become one of the hottest topics in the news: A documentary
about it won an Academy Award, presidential candidates are calling
it one of their concerns, and governments and business are launching
initiatives to fight it.
Yet the science behind climate change can get lost in the shuffle.
At Scripps’ Birch Aquarium, visitors can explore the facts
at a new interactive exhibit, Feeling the Heat: The Climate Challenge.
Unveiled May 19, the exhibit is the first of its kind in San Diego
County and the largest single-topic scientific display ever offered
at the aquarium.
Geared for visitors over the age of 12, the comprehensive exhibit
features hands-on
activities, videos and visuals to show how climate change has already
impacted the planet and what future generations may face if carbon
emissions are not reduced.
Modern climate science began at Scripps in 1958, when the late
Charles David Keeling began his landmark measurements of rising
carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The graph, known as the “Keeling
Curve,” is one of the iconic images featured in former Vice
President Al Gore’s Academy Award-winning documentary An
Inconvenient Truth, and Gore toured the exhibit as part of his
visit to UC San Diego on May 21.
The exhibit will be open for at least two years. For more information
go to: http://aquarium.ucsd.edu or contact:
858-228-7023.
— Jessica Crawford
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