Using solar power, wind power and hydropower to combat climate change or purchasing products made with locally sourced woods to take a stand against the destruction of the rainforests: the new DBU exhibition “MenschenWelt – Sustainable Development within Planetary Boundaries” addresses the global challenges of our day. After all, the Earth is currently greatly influenced by humans, making it a “MenschenWelt” or “human world”.
“It is up to us to ensure that the negative impacts of how we interact with the planet do not fall onto the shoulders of future generations,” said DBU General Secretary Alexander Bonde at the opening of the exhibition on 28 August 2018. Using interactive exhibits, it demonstrates how sustainable development, and therefore a good life for everyone on the Earth, is possible within the planetary boundaries – in other words, without overly taxing the planet.
Following Bonde’s opening remarks, Reinhold Leinfelder, Professor for Palaeontology and Geobiology at the Free University of Berlin, clearly described what a massive impact humans have had and continue to have on the Earth. Human beings are one of the greatest factors exerting influence on the planet’s biological, geological and atmospheric processes, which is why geologists are currently debating whether we are in a new geological age – the Anthropocene. According to Leinfelder: “The impact that these changes will have depends on our future actions. We need to think of the Earth as an endowment. We can all live well from the proceeds when we take the rules of the endowment – the planetary boundaries – seriously and finally stop using up all our endowment capital.”
The exhibition showcases the history of the hole in the ozone layer. It’s a good example of how a global, man-made problem can be solved through coherent joint action. Thanks to the international ban on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) – the chemicals that led to the destruction of the ozone layer – in 1987, atmospheric researchers expect the hole to close up by around 2050. When it comes to solving these problems, it takes more than action on the part of politicians and companies – every individual also needs to do his or her part. The scientific concept of the planetary boundaries describes a framework that allows the system to remain stable so that the Earth remains liveable. Just like this concept, the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals are not only the basis of the exhibition, but also one of the guiding principles of the Foundation’s practical daily work.
During the closing remarks of the exhibition opening, Ulrike Peters, the DBU lecturer who curated the exhibition, explained how the exhibition concept was created and how she approached this complex topic. For the first time ever, a scientific advisory board was convened that included not only Leinfelder, but also Astrid Schulz from the Branch Office of the German Advisory Council on Global Change, and Holger Hoff from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Stockholm Resilience Center. Birte Kahmann explained the accompanying program and their partnership with the agency on behalf of the exhibition team. Robert Müller from the Cologne-based agency facts and fiction was responsible for the creative implementation.
The 11th DBU exhibition will be open to the public at the DBU Natural Heritage Building in Osnabrück, Germany, until the end of 2019. The DBU Centre for Environmental Communication offers free tours for groups of 10 or more. There is also an educational programme for school classes for students in year 7 and up as well as training courses for teachers. For those interested, there will also be a series of talks held in conjunction with the exhibition.
After the end of its run in Osnabrück, the exhibition will travel throughout Germany for the next five years.
You can find more information on the exhibition at www.ausstellung-menschenwelt.de or by contacting us at ausstellungen-dbu@dbu.de or on +49 541 9633 921.
