Can algae save the world?
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By Daniel Nelson
Can algae save the world? asks a small exhibition on biofuels at the Science Museum in London. The answer? Its up to you to decide. The museums new director, Chris Rapley, said at the opening that biofuels seem to offer one way of reducing carbon emissions, but people were confused by the choices available and by the difficulties of weighing up the costs and benefits of the process. The museums answer, he said, was to allow visitors to assess the information for themselves. The display uses three simple questions to help visitors make sense of the technologies commonly offered to fight global warming. If the approach is a success, said Rapley, it would be incorporated into the major climate change exhibition scheduled for 2009 which we intend will be a world showcase because we aim to be the most admired museum in the world. Emma Hedderwick, who is responsible for the content of the exhibition. Said, Every day we listen to voices urging us to help save the planet by reducing our carbon footprint. This exhibition takes a different approach by allowing visitors to cut through the hype so they can make their own decisions about the key issues. The exhibition features a mini algae farm a photobioreactor, if you prefer made up of three two-metre towers, containing the microscopic plants some scientists hope one day will be able to make biofuels. It also features an interactive climate change game, where visitors take the role of a superhero battling global warming. It is aimed at older teenagers and independent adults (whatever that means). The exhibition runs until April. It's on the web at www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/algae |
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