ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that in order for museums to matter in a time of climate crisis, they must first reject the claim to political neutrality that structures and limits their transformative social power. It offers a divergent perspective on museum relevance, shows that initiatives organized by The Natural History Museum to make case. In the face of climate emergency, many in the museum sector are asking what it means to be relevant to these communities. In the climate emergency, museum relevance should be linked to the struggle to secure the common good. Contrary to the thesis that taking positions on contested social and political issues will turn visitors away and destroy public trust in museums, evidence suggests that museum visitors prefer museums that take official positions on pressing contemporary issues. The American museum community is committed to working openly and productively with Indigenous people for the protection, preservation, and repatriation of culturally sensitive items and property.
