Voices for Change: A Night of Climate Action

From Local Voices to Global Impact: Let’s Tackle Climate Together.

Monday 17 November, 18:30–21:30
Free, booking required
Central Entrance on Cromwell Road

This evening is in collaboration with the Generation Hope programme.

Join us for a free evening of lively discussions, performances, hands-on creativity and inspiring stories, all exploring the challenges of and solutions to the climate crisis.

Taking place during COP30 – the international conference where global leaders meet to tackle climate change – it’s your chance to connect with scientists, activists and local community members already taking action.

Discover nature’s unsung heroes, explore specimens from the collections we care for, create your own zine and join a conversation with a correspondent reporting live from Brazil, where COP30 is happening in real time.

Your voice matters! Together, we can drive real change, so let’s make some noise for the planet. Are you in?

Accessibility information

This event is wheelchair accessible.
If you’re unable to wait in queues for long periods, speak to our security staff and they’ll fast track your entry.
Seating is available in the event space.
Guide dogs are welcome at the Museum. Water for them is available on request.
The nearest accessible toilet is on the Ground Floor at the back of Hintze Hall, under the stairs.
A dedicated quiet area is available during the event.
Limited Blue Badge parking spaces are available on request.
We can provide you with a wheelchair or folding chair to carry if you email us.
If you have any questions, email us or call us on +44(0)20 7942 5000 Monday to Friday, 09:00–17:00.

Visiting information

This event is recommended for ages 16+.
Enter using our Central Entrance on Cromwell Road.
Some activities have limited capacity. Please arrive at the activity location early to secure your place in the queue.

Programme

Live from Belém: What COP30 Means for Us

19:00–19:40

Attenborough Studio
Drop-in, live link-up

What’s happening at COP30, and what are we trying to achieve? Join Samia Dumbuya, climate educator and UK Youth Delegate for COP29, to discover how COP works and why it matters. We’ll also hear from Adriani Maffioletti, a health researcher and climate justice advocate, via a live link to COP30 in Belém, Brazil. She’ll answer your questions and provide a snapshot of what’s happening live at the conference. Then we’ll wrap up with practical ways to turn a global conference into local action.

Speaker biographies

Samia Dumbuya

Samia is a climate educator, facilitator and founder of The People’s Ark, working to make climate education accessible to marginalised communities in the UK. Over the past decade, they’ve led workshops and partnered with more than 30 organisations to strengthen community engagement and youth-led climate action. As a COP29 Youth Delegate with the Future Leaders Network, Samia amplified young people’s voices on the global stage. With a Master’s in Sustainable Resources from UCL, they champion community-led solutions and climate-just futures for all.

Adriani Maffioletti

Adriani is a nursing student and health researcher dedicated to advancing public health and climate justice. Her academic work explores the intersections between health, environmental change and social equity, with a focus on improving health outcomes for communities most affected by the climate crisis. Beyond academia, Adriani is an active climate justice advocate, working to bridge science, policy and community voices in international spaces such as the UN Climate Conferences. She currently serves as Programming Co-Lead for the Climate Live Entertainment + Culture Pavilion that will take place in the Blue Zone at COP30.

How Do You Even Change Climate Policy?

20:15–21:00
Attenborough Studio
Drop-in, in-discussion

From global conservation targets to local green initiatives, policy is one of the most powerful drivers of positive climate action. In this interactive discussion, you’ll hear changemakers Carolyn Axtell and Ellen Bradley bust common myths about policy and explain how they’ve influenced change. We’ll then explore, as a room, how we can identify our own strengths and combine them in creative and practical ways to influence policy.

Speaker biography

Ellen Bradley

Ellen is Co-Director of UK Youth for Nature, a network of 16 to 35-year-olds calling on the government to act on the nature crisis. She’s currently writing and illustrating her first book with Birlinn Publishing, which explores some of the extraordinary adaptations of British wildlife. Previously General Manager of Curlew Action, she’s Vice Chair of Trustees for Young Sea Changers Scotland and Ambassador for Zeiss Nature.

Dance Mirrors Nature: An Indian Dance Workshop

20:00–20:30 and 20:45–21:15
Zoology Spirit Building
Drop-in, dance and movement workshop, capacity 30

How does nature influence movement and traditional dance practice? Join professional Indian dancers and researchers Tanaya Nair and Oonmona Das in this dance workshop. It’s open to all levels and no experience is needed. Learn about and take part in movement exploring how ‘dancing wisdom’ – embodied knowledge shared within communities – can help restore our intricate connection to nature. Leave feeling more in tune with yourself as part of nature and reflect on how this deepens our understanding of the climate crisis.

Facilitator biographies

Tanaya Nair

Tanaya is an Indian ecologist, dancer and Hatha yoga instructor. She’s a PhD student at the University of Oxford, where she’s studying how insects, rainfall and soil conditions influence nutrient flows in tropical ecosystems across Africa and South Asia. Being between the arts and the sciences and learning from communities who have intricate relationships with their environment, Tanaya is exploring participatory interventions to roll out research more meaningfully and urgently in the world.

Oonmona Das

Oonmona is a development professional, conflict resolution practitioner and Indian classical dancer from Assam, in Northeast India. She recently completed her MPhil in Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, where she examined how development initiatives influence women’s agency in Indigenous and ethnic justice systems in East Africa and Northeast India. Trained in Sattriya and Odissi, she views dance as a bridge between heritage and hope, a sacred language that connects her to divinity. Through her work, Oonmona explores how culture and movement nurture empathy, resilience and peace.

Experiencing Green In Our City: A Fishbowl Conversation

18:45–19:30
Zoology Spirit Building
Drop-in, participatory discussion, capacity 30

Green spaces can significantly boost our wellbeing, but access isn’t equal for everyone. Dip in and out of this fishbowl conversation alongside scientist Adriana De Palma, policymaker Chin Chin Lam, young nature advocate Johnathon Miller-McCall and fellow attendees. Share and listen to diverse experiences of connecting with nature and explore how personal stories reflect wider inequalities. Plus, hear more about the research inspiring actions for greener, healthier and more equitable neighbourhoods.

Speaker biographies

Dr Adriana De Palma

Adriana is a Principal Researcher at London’s Natural History Museum and Co-Lead of its Biodiversity Futures Lab. She studies how human activity affects wildlife and ecosystems and how we can turn that scientific knowledge into action. Passionate about communicating science, she’s contributed to national and international policy documents and public outreach, including Greta Thunberg’s book The Climate Book. Adriana hopes to inspire people to take small actions that make a big difference for both people and planet.

Chin Chin Lam

Chin Chin is a Sustainability Officer in Planning and Climate Resilience at London’s Camden Council. Her role focuses on urban developments, energy and carbon emissions and climate risks such as flooding and extreme heat. With increasing extreme weather events and climate change, Chin Chin’s work ensures vulnerable communities aren’t left behind. A committed climate advocate, she’s represented youth organisations at two previous COPs and led local advocacy in Hong Kong to push for planning reform and community resilience.

Johnathon Miller-McCall

Johnathon is a Communications and Engagement Officer at Synchronicity Earth, a UK-based charitable foundation focused on protecting and restoring biodiversity where it’s most threatened around the world. He has a strong background in environmental advocacy, community engagement and storytelling. Johnathon creates educational content as a freelance science communicator on Instagram and has experience speaking at major festivals, including Wireless Festival and Forwards Festival. He’s presented for environmental communications company Earth Minutes, where he conducts interviews, leads workshops and raises awareness about environmental issues. He’s passionate about inspiring action and fostering meaningful connections to nature through communication and engagement.

Natural Heroes Pop-Up Station

18:30–21:15
Dino Way and Darwin Centre Atrium
Drop-in, pop-up station

Healthy ecosystems absorb carbon, help us adapt to a changing climate and inspire solutions to tackle it. These ecosystems are full of natural heroes, from animals and plants to microbes and minerals. Join our scientists and PhD students to discover the crucial roles these heroes play and to see beautiful specimens of them from the collections we care for. Plus, learn simple, practical ways to care for nature as part of the COP30 Action Agenda.

Climate Cafe with Force of Nature

18:30–21:15
Central Cafe
Drop-in, zine making

18.45–19.30 and 20.00–20.45
Marine Invertebrates Gallery
Drop-in, climate conversation, capacity 40

Join young climate advocates from Force of Nature for a welcoming Climate Cafe. Drop in to make your own zine about a climate issue you care about. You’ll also be invited to join our conversation to explore how the climate crisis makes us feel and how those feelings can fuel action. Leave feeling connected and supported, with your voice and creativity as part of collective change.

Facilitator biographies

Meg Stillwell

Meg is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Force of Nature, a youth non-profit mobilising mindsets for climate action. She’s passionate about climate justice and creating a greener, fairer world for all.

Rachel Keane

Rachel is the Partnerships Lead at Force of Nature. She works with the organisation’s global youth community and partners to deliver local climate cafes and online skills development training.

Climate Champions Pop-Up Station

18:30–21:15
Hintze Hall
Drop-in, pop-up station and networking

Looking to find out more about what people are doing in your area to look after our communities? Want to join a group or collective? Come and chat with inspiring changemakers based around London and find out more about how you can be involved.

Find Your Climate Action

18:30–21:30
Fixing Our Broken Planet Gallery
Interactive conversation starter

Find Your Climate Action is a tool that helps you find out about actions that are good for you, your community and the environment. Take a few moments to reflect on your actions for the planet. Use this tool as a conversation starter and to plan the next steps on your advocacy journey.

Jewellery Box

18:30–21:15
Dino Way
Drop-in, pop-up station

For thousands of years, people have created jewellery from the natural world to share stories, celebrate culture and feel connected to nature. In this hands-on activity, explore historic and contemporary adornment with a chance to share your stories. Our learning volunteers will guide conversations through culture and traditions, sustainability, the collections we care for and the everyday choices we make as consumers.

Live Metronomes Steel Orchestra

19:45–20:00, 20:30–20:45 and 21:00–21:15
Fossil Marine Reptiles Gallery
Drop-in, live steel band performance

Enjoy vibrant performances from North Kensington’s Metronomes Steel Orchestra, who transform scrap metal into the joyous sound of steel pan. Between sets, meet the players and hear how their work links creativity, community and the climate crisis. Plus, find out how to join their unique steel pan family.

Choices That Matter: Exploring Responsible Consumption Through Collections

18:45–19:15, 19:45–20:15 and 20:45–21:15
Fixing Our Broken Planet Gallery
Drop-in, tour, capacity 15 per tour

Take a short, guided tour through our Fixing Our Broken Planet Gallery and learn how our everyday choices as consumers can help shape a more sustainable future. Discover the stories and research behind the specimens and reflect on how this evidence can guide tangible actions. From choosing biodegradable products to changing the clothing industry through how we shop, we can make a positive impact on our planet.

Fixing Our Broken Planet Highlights: An Audio Description Tour

19:15–19:45 and 20:15–20:45
Fixing Our Broken Planet Gallery
Drop-in, tour, capacity 15 per tour

Enjoy a whistlestop tour of our newest permanent gallery, highlighting key specimens that help our planet thrive. Led by Lucy Ribeiro, this audio description tour encourages you to think about the aspects of each specimen and gives you time to discuss your thoughts with the wider group.

Speaker biography

Lucy Ribeiro

Lucy is an artist and educator whose work explores nature through drawing. She’s delivered workshops, lectures and tours for national institutions, including the Royal Academy of Art, the Royal Horticultural Society, the Wellcome Collection and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Your Say On Climate

18:30–21:30
Fixing Our Broken Planet Gallery
Drop-in, interactive conversation starter

Chat with our young consultants, members of our youth advisory panel, about the choices you can make to support the planet and build a more sustainable future. Hear their perspectives, swap ideas and be inspired to take action in your own life.

Generation Hope National

18:30–21:30
Shake Bar
Short film

A short film documenting the work of the World Museum, Global Diversity Foundation, Great North Museum: Hancock, Climate Museum UK and Metronomes Steel Orchestra. It explores how they worked with young people to take action for the planet. The projects covered in the film are an extension of our Generation Hope programme and delivered in partnership with members of the Fixing Our Broken Planet: Community of Practice.