How OMSI wants visitors to rethink climate change

Climate change isn’t usually described as hopeful – but the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is betting that it can be.

Beginning April 25, OMSI will open a new permanent gallery that treats climate change not only as a problem to solve but as a form of collective action.

When the museum reopens its reimagined Natural Sciences Hall, visitors won’t just learn about carbon emissions and rising temperatures. Through interactive, hands-on displays, they’ll meet farmers, tribal leaders, youth advocates and the people and companies reshaping Oregon’s energy system as a response to the changing climate.

The central question at the core of the exhibit: What can we cultivate together?

The answers include tangible solutions such as community‑led food systems, Indigenous knowledge and youth‑driven climate action. They focus on the voices and perspectives of Indigenous, Black, Latino, rural and coastal communities and nonprofits across Oregon.

The Climate of Change/Clima de Cambio exhibit at the Nancy Stueber Natural Sciences Hall also weaves together climate science and insights from industry sponsors.

“This exhibition invites visitors to deepen their connection to place, think more expansively about our changing landscapes, and recognize their own capacity for action,” said Ciera Iveson, OMSI’s creative director. “From the immersive elements to tangible solutions, we center the idea of ‘active hope.’”

Portland General Electric is the gallery’s energy sponsor through 2030 and the hall features the utility in an interactive exhibit focused on carbon. PGE said the exhibit is intended to help young Oregonians better understand how the energy system works and how they can participate in the state’s clean‑energy transition.

The partnership lands at a moment when Oregon’s utilities are under increasing pressure to provide clean energy and meet rapidly growing demand for electricity.

Oregon law requires PGE and PacifiCorp, both investor-owned, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2030 and to eliminate emissions altogether by 2040. Meeting those targets is proving increasingly difficult for them.