Warrington Museum and Art Gallery has launched the first in a series of new eye-opening exhibitions which aim to challenge perceptions of the climate crisis.
From local stories to global insights, Emergency on Planet Earth explores our relationship with the natural world and how we can adapt for a more sustainable future.
With the aim of encouraging collective action, the show opens today, Friday, and runs until 1 February.
But the Museum team also plan to host a follow-up exhibition once a year to coincide with COP (Conference of the Parties), the UN’s global summit where countries come together to address climate change.
Amanda Moore, Sustainability Officer for Warrington Museum, said: “This first exhibition is about biodiversity and habitat loss. Britain is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world sadly, and we wanted to highlight this fact.
“We’ve looked at wider stories and then focused in on Warrington too, by looking at the draft of the ‘Local Nature Recovery Strategy’ that should be published any time now for people to see what’s going on with nature near them.”
The exhibition itself will also be as sustainable as possible – thanks to additional funding and support from Museum Development North.
For example, recycled materials will be used – and reused – and written materials are being printed on bamboo paper, a sustainable alternative to traditional wood-based paper due to its rapid growth.
The show ties in Warrington’s yearly Climate Emergency Forum too, which aims to spark local action and conversation around the environmental crisis through a series of events run by community groups and charities.
As well as the exhibition, Warrington Museum will also be hosting its first ‘Climate Café’ on Sunday, 16 November.
It will be a free, relaxed and non-judgemental place for discussions with those attending invited to direct the conversation.
There are also plans for more events in the New Year, including an activism day in January, as a way to engage with as many people as possible on green issues.
Amanda added: “It’s taken about 10 months of work to launch Emergency on Planet Earth including research, planning, presentation and choosing artists.
“There are lots of elements that have brought together different teams at the Museum, but we want to do even more and our goal is to make as many people in Warrington as possible as passionate about protecting our planet as we are.
“Environmental issues affect us all from the food we eat to the extreme weather or flooding that might affect us.
“All action must start with an individual, and when those individuals link up into bigger and louder groups, the powers that be have to start taking notice.”
Amanda has been leading on sustainability for Culture Warrington, the charity behind Warrington Museum, for around two years and before that she was instrumental in launching the town’s Sky Garden at Golden Square in 2022.
She has also opened people’s eyes to green issues by facilitating training opportunities for Culture Warrington staff such Carbon Literacy, and bringing like-minded people together with the creation of the ‘Warrington Community Gardens’ group.
Amanda said: “The environment is always something I’ve been passionate about, so to incorporate this into my job and raise awareness with others has been fantastic. Lots of plans for next year are in the pipeline too, so watch this space!”
Emergency on Planet Earth is free to view at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery until 1 February
Listings information
Exhibition title: Emergency on Planet Earth
Dates: 7 November, 2025, to 1 February, 2026
Admission: Free
Location: Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, Museum Street, Warrington, WA1 1JB
wmag.culturewarrington.org
