Audio guide transcript for the Fixing Our Broken Planet gallery

We are in a planetary emergency, an unprecedented period in our planet’s history. As our demand for food, materials and energy soars, the health of forests and oceans declines and countless species face extinction.

We need a global response. Together, we have the power to make change. We can build more sustainable lifestyles, slow the rate of climate change and restore biodiversity while improving our own health in the process.

The Natural History Museum is at the heart of a growing global community uniting scientific expertise with advocacy for the planet. Together, we can build a future where people and the planet thrive.

Join us.

Every one of the 80 million objects in our collections tells a story. The objects on display here were chosen by Natural History Museum scientists to show our broken relationship with the natural world and the ways we could repair it.

Our scientists learn from museum collections every day. They decode DNA and analyse the physical and chemical make-up of specimens to develop solutions for a healthier planet.

In this gallery are a handful of specimens that illustrate these solutions, from breeding climate-resilient crops to sustainably extracting minerals for green technologies. Every one reveals a secret about our changing world and provides a clue to tackling the problems we face.

What we eat does make a difference

Over thousands of years, our single species has taken a third of the planet’s land and transformed it into farms. Simultaneously, we’ve overfished about a third of global fish stocks.

Luckily, our food habits and the systems that support them can make a difference for the better. Scientists are imagining a world where we can feed our growing population by producing more food on less land, leaving space for nature to thrive.

Scientists at the Natural History Museum are monitoring nature to understand the impact of intensive farming, and enhancing the resilience of crops to survive in our warming climate. Finding solutions will protect our food supplies and the planet.

Impacts of our food choices

Producing our food uses vast areas of land and significant amounts of fresh water, and it contributes to over a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.

An infographic shows the greenhouse gas emissions produced, the amount of land and water required to make 1kg of different foods.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Beef is the highest greenhouse gas producer of the foods shown. Creating just 1kg of beef releases 99.5kg of greenhouse gas emissions, while other protein sources are much lower. Producing 1kg of chicken releases only 9.8kg of greenhouse gases.

Dark chocolate has the second highest emissions. Large areas of tropical rainforests are often deforested to produce cocoa. This contributes to a high level of emissions compared to other foods.

Vegetable sources generally had lower greenhouse gas emissions. However, rice creates 10% of all farming emissions, due to the release of methane as its grown.

Land use

Beef is by far the most land-intensive food. As well as the land needed for cows to graze, large areas are used to grow plants, such as soya, to feed them.

Plant-based foods, such as tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, rice and tofu require substantially less land.

Water use

Cheese requires the most water per kilogram. Cheese-making requires large amounts of water for cleaning machinery, cooling down milk and for dairy animals to drink.

Rice requires the second highest amount of water, followed by beef. In comparison, tofu, dark chocolate, potatoes, bananas and coffee require much less water.

Food animated infographic

What is the impact of meat and dairy farming?

Farming meat and dairy has a huge impact on land. In fact, farming uses a third of all land on Earth.

Of all the land we use to make food, the majority is for meat and dairy. Plant crops take up only a small portion of farmland.

Farming meat and dairy also has a huge impact on wildlife. Livestock and humans make up 95% of the world’s mammals by weight. Wild mammals account for just 5%.

Globally, around 20% of our calories come from one plant: wheat. It’s a key ingredient in staple foods such as bread and noodles, but our changing climate is threatening many varieties of wheat with drought, heat and disease. Matt Clark, a scientist at the Natural History Museum, is looking for solutions in the DNA of emmer, a hardy relative of wheat. By identifying genes that help plants like emmer survive harsh conditions, new kinds of wheat can be bred for a warming world.

Matt Clark says: ‘The idea is to breed wheat that can survive the climate of the future. It needs to produce plenty of food and thrive without being pampered with loads of water, chemical fertilisers and pesticides.’

When this marlin swam in the Indian Ocean in the late 1800s, the world’s seas were teeming with life. But, since industrialised fishing began in the 1950s, the number of large predators such as marlin, tuna and sharks has plummeted by 90%. Scientists at the Natural History Museum are helping to survey huge new protected areas of ocean surrounding British overseas territories. This work supports the United Nations pledge set out in 2023 to protect a third of the world’s oceans from overfishing.

James Maclaine, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘When we kill large fish like marlin, it disrupts the balance of the oceans. When we remove the top predators, other smaller animals can thrive, causing problems that can affect the whole marine ecosystem.’

Mitzi Jonelle Tan from Metro Manila, in the Philippines, started Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, a student group that campaigns alongside communities such as marginalised fisherfolk. Her activism is guided by love, joy and collective world-building

Mitzi says: ‘I used to feel powerless against environmental crises. But when I joined a youth organisation, I was empowered to take action. Together, we learned how aggressive fishing techniques of large corporations make smaller, more sustainable fisheries less viable. We joined the fight for justice-oriented industries, and I now know that a better world is within reach.’

Our growing appetite for seafood is causing fish populations to crash worldwide, but jellyfish numbers are on the rise. Humans have been overfishing predators that would normally eat jellyfish, such as tuna and sharks, and smaller fish that would normally compete with jellyfish for food. Jellyfish populations aren’t just impacted by overfishing, though. Artificial fertilisers used in farming end up in waterways leading to oceans. Most sea life can’t survive in polluted water, but jellyfish can. In turn, jellyfish blooms block light, affecting the life below them and creating further imbalances in the ecosystem.

Miranda Lowe, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Jellyfish are an indicator species, meaning they are a measure of how healthy the ocean environment is. We’re now seeing new jellyfish species around the UK and Ireland, which tells us water conditions are changing.’

Seaweeds are farmed across the world, providing livelihoods for millions of people globally. They’re a nutrient-rich food, and they’re used in a variety of industries. Demand for these crops is growing rapidly but at the same time the seaweeds are increasingly affected by pests, diseases and warming oceans. Scientists at the Natural History Museum are working with experts in Asia and Africa to spot the early signs of disease. This will help protect the seaweeds and seaweed farmers’ livelihoods.

Juliet Brodie, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘We’re developing varieties of seaweed that are more resilient to rising temperatures, and finding out which environmental conditions trigger disease. We need seaweed farming to be resilient, sustainable and safe for people and the planet.

These plants are being fed by the fungi entwined in their roots. Fungi are natural fertilisers. Most plant species already partner up with some fungi – the fungi help the plants absorb water and nutrients, while the plants provide the fungi with food. Scientists at the Natural History Museum are studying how this relationship could be harnessed to reduce our reliance on artificial fertilisers when growing crops such as wheat or strawberries. Artificial fertilisers are harmful because producing them generates huge carbon emissions, and using them damages soil and pollutes waterways.

Silvia Pressel, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Nature-based solutions are there for us to harness. Let’s turn to them for greener and smarter ways to farm and feed us, while we protect the environment.’

Listen to Silvia Pressel, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, talk about how we can grow food with fewer chemical fertilisers.

'If you look closely at these plants grown in my lab you can see fuzzy patches around their roots – they’re actually many tiny threads of fungi. What these plants and fungi are up to is one of the most important partnerships on Earth. 

The plants are giving the fungi sugars - and in return the fungi share nutrients they’ve absorbed from the jelly in the dish – which in nature would be the soil.

With a team of collaborators, we have discovered that plants are pairing up with more fungi than it was known until now and with these experiments we are investigating how these newly discovered partnerships work.

Most plants form beneficial relationships with fungi. But the way we farm today very often has a negative impact on the ability of crops – like wheat or strawberries – to form such partnerships.

As we learn more about these fungi, in the future, I’m hoping farmers will be able to add them to the soil to help their crops absorb more nutrients – meaning they wouldn’t need as much chemical fertilisers. This could help farmers grow more while protecting the environment.

With my research I feel a bit like a time-traveller - I started out wondering how plants first moved onto land. The answer was that they were helped by forming these same partnerships with fungi hundreds of millions of years ago. And that’s led me to thinking about the future: I’m very excited by the idea that we could harness what nature has been doing since long before we got here and use it to farm and eat more sustainably. '

Wellacre Academy in Manchester, UK, is a secondary school in Manchester with a thriving Eco Hub. The school uses the Natural History Museum’s National Education Nature Park resources to help students experience nature.

Robert, Conrad and Charlie, pupils from the school, say: ‘Our group meets weekly on our school grounds for gardening and other eco activities to boost green space, grow vegetables, look after our bees and produce a garden for the RHS Tatton flower show. Our school is one of hundreds of schools improving biodiversity and pollinator habitat across the country.’

Over a third of our crops globally depend on pollinators such as bees to form seeds and grow. Yet many of the 20,000 species of bees around the world are in decline. Ironically, their decline is due to the farming system they support, as expanding farmland and chemical pesticides destroy bee habitats. Bees rely on the health of whole ecosystems. In wetlands, reed yellowface bees make unusual homes inside the stems of common reeds. Flies lay their eggs in the reeds first, and the nest develops over the summer before the bees can move in. To protect this one bee, the whole wetland needs protection.

Joseph Monks, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘The food we produce is reliant on bees, just as bees are reliant on other species of animals and plants. To protect bees – and therefore our food supply – we need to think about protecting the whole ecosystem.’

Through 10,000 years of breeding, humans have transformed the powerful aurochs (AW-roks) into the tame domestic cow, farmed for its meat and milk. Aurochs left in the wild were driven to extinction by hunting and loss of habitat. Today, the combined weight of domestic livestock exceeds that of all wild mammals on Earth, and close to a third of all land on our planet is being used to raise and feed them. In 2021, agriculture was the main threat to 24,000 of the 28,000 species at risk of extinction.

Adrian Lister, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘In our desire for meat, we drove a wild species to extinction. Now many other species are at risk of extinction as we destroy their habitats to feed ourselves. We must find ways that agriculture and biodiversity can work in harmony.’

Use recipe apps to find new ways to cook leftover food.

Angelina Esposito from London, UK, is an advocate raising awareness and educating people on how to reduce their food waste.

Angelina says: ‘I began volunteering at the Nourish Hub. They take food that would otherwise be discarded to make nutritional meals for the community. Reducing food waste cuts emissions and landfill use. It’s inspiring to see how even this small action has a positive impact on the community and our planet.’

Over half of us have a pet. They make us happier and healthier, but our affection for them has a downside for the planet: their carbon pawprint. The food we produce for our pets is their biggest carbon emission. Annually, the food made for the global population of cats and dogs creates the same carbon emissions as the whole of the Philippines and uses land twice the size of the UK. We can create huge reductions in emissions by choosing pet food made from offcuts or lower-carbon proteins such as chicken, insects or fish instead of beef or lamb.

Natalie Cooper, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Changing what your pets eat can massively reduce their carbon pawprint. And adopting rather than buying a new pet not only gives an animal a home, but also reduces the environmental impacts of feeding animals in shelters.’

Use the Museum’s online tool to find ways to help the planet.

Roween Rawat from London, UK, works for the Museum telling positive stories about solutions to the climate crisis. They co-created an online tool to inspire you to take action. Visit nhm.ac.uk/find-actions

Roween says: ‘Perfection isn’t the goal when it comes to taking action for the planet. There isn’t one right way to do it, and it’s not all or nothing. Our online tool helps you find what works for you, because finding what fits your lifestyle and interests is what will really make a difference.’

Everything comes from nature.

For generations, the world’s richest nations have treated Earth like a supermarket, with few limits or constraints. Entire landscapes have been reshaped by resource extraction. And now, for the first time ever, human-made materials weigh more than all living things.

How we take from nature, make the stuff we use and then throw it away has a huge impact. Collectively, we can create an economy that leaves minimal waste, reuses materials and gives back to nature.

Natural History Museum scientists are studying collections to understand the impacts of harmful waste on nature, and are helping to improve recycling to protect finite resources.

Waste and our environment

Everything we throw away ends up in our environment. We need to move to a circular economy, limiting what we take from nature and reusing what we do.

Fast fashion

75% of all clothes end up incinerated or in landfill

Since the advent of fast fashion in the 1990s we are producing more clothes than ever before. Much of this ends up as waste even before it gets bought or worn.

Plastics

80% of all plastic ever made still exists in our environment

From the peak of Mount Everest to the seabed of the Mariana Trench, plastic has been found everywhere on our planet.

Electronics

$91 billion USD worth of precious metals, such as gold, copper and iron, have been thrown away in just one year

This is equivalent in value to the Gross Domestic Product of Paraguay and Tunisia combined. Many of the materials used to make our technology could be reused and recycled forever.

Materials animated infographic

We make more stuff than ever before

The weight of living things has remained constant over time.

Over the last 100 years the amount of stuff we make has increased significantly.

In 2020, human-made materials were predicted to exceed the mass of all living things for the first time.

Throughout their long lives, whales build up large ‘plugs’ of wax inside their ear canals, and this wax contains chemicals found in the oceans. Natural History Museum scientist Richard Sabin analysed this unusual resource to reveal 80 years of information about the build-up of toxins such as DDT and PCBs in the oceans. DDT, PCBs and similar dangerous chemicals were banned worldwide in 2004. These persistent organic pollutants, which are used as pesticides and found in paints and plastics, are damaging to the health of humans and other animals.

Richard Sabin says: ‘It’s incredible that we can use earwax to understand how whales lived. But it’s shocking to see that chemicals banned long ago are still in the oceans. You can help prevent ocean pollution by recycling properly, reducing plastic use and reusing where possible.’

Listen to Richard Sabin, a scientist at the Natural History Museum, talk about how whales are impacted by ocean noise and pollution. 

'The object you see here might look unusual – I certainly don’t think it’s something you’ll have seen before. It’s a wax ear plug from a baleen whale.

Baleen whales live a long time – some species live for more than 100 years – and through their lives, wax ear plugs form layer by layer in their ear canals. We can read the layers in these plugs a bit like a tree’s rings, to see exactly how old a whale was when it died.

But I learnt a few years ago that we can actually use ear plugs to study all sorts of things – and it’s helped us to understand more about how whales live, and how our lives impact them.

Baleen whales secrete chemicals into their waxy ear plugs – both hormones from their bodies, and chemicals polluting the ocean around them.

We take tiny samples of each layer of the ear plug and analyse them. They show us the peaks and troughs of a whale’s life – how they feed, when they were pregnant, the times they were stressed, or when they were exposed to pollutants in the ocean.

We often think of the ocean as being so vast that the things that we do there won’t have an impact – but whales are mammals, just like us, and they lead complex lives using sound to form social bonds and to find mates so they can reproduce. There’s no doubt that sound pollution in the ocean has an effect on their mental health.

Boats and ships, drilling for oil, dredging, construction work and battles at sea all create noise in the ocean that disrupts their lives. The things we do are causing them stress in so many different ways.

Understanding more about how whales live and learn and travel and make sense of their world really brings the conversation home for me. We simply have to make changes – both for ourselves and for the sake of these incredible creatures in the oceans.'

Beneath the surface of the Thames in London is a mass of plastic waste with everything from wet wipes to microscopic clothes fibres. Microplastics have been found inside seals, porpoises, whales and fish around the world. They’ve also been found in the stomach of almost every crab collected by Alex McGoran, a scientist formerly at the Natural History Museum. The impact on crabs is not fully understood, but the plastic may make it hard for them to feed and may release dangerous chemicals into their bodies.

Alex McGoran says: ‘Plastic counts by charity Thames21 have found that over 80% of waste on the shore of the river is single-use plastic, most commonly wet wipes.’

Choose clothes made with natural, biodegradable materials like bamboo or wool.

Cassie Quinn from London, UK, is a regenerative designer and founder of CQ Studio, working to create materials and textiles that restore ecosystems, and educate through creative workshops

Cassie says: ‘Most clothes made today contain plastics and take hundreds of years to decompose. I was shocked to learn that tiny fragments of these plastics have even been found inside fish deep in the ocean. That’s why I’ve developed new eco-friendly materials to make clothes with a lower environmental impact.’

There is nothing new about birds building nests from our rubbish, but the waste we throw away now can be dangerous to wildlife. Birds were first recorded using human-made materials in their nests in the 1780s, when they were typically scraps of natural rope and twine. Today, birds use cloth, metal waste and single-use plastic. Birds might choose plastic to strengthen their nests but their young can become fatally entangled in it. Some urban birds even make use of discarded cigarette butts, which keep troublesome ticks, fleas, lice and mites out but are toxic to chicks.

Douglas GD Russell, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Almost 80% of all the plastic we’ve ever made is thought to still be persistent in the environment. It’s never been more important to reduce, reuse or recycle our waste to minimise the risks to wildlife.’

Renewable energy is key to our low-carbon future, but electric vehicles and other green technologies currently rely on metals such as nickel, manganese and cobalt. These are currently mined on land, but they can also be found in billions of small rocks called polymetallic nodules at the bottom of the deep ocean. Scientists at the Natural History Museum work closely with the United Nations, governments, environmental groups and the mining industry. Together they strive to understand the potential impact any future deep sea mining could have on this unique environment and the animals that live there.

Adrian Glover, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says ‘The deep sea is a wilderness filled with remarkable animals we don’t know much about. Studying life in these regions allows us to make informed decisions on big issues such as deep-sea mining.’

Listen to Adrian Glover, a scientist at the Natural History Museum, discuss how his exploration of the deep sea is informing a crucial debate.

'Seeing living deep-sea animals through the tiny windows of a submarine is perhaps the most amazing experience I have ever had. The variety and abundance of life even in the deepest, darkest parts of our oceans is quite remarkable to me. My team collected these animals on display, all of which we have not even given names to yet. They are species new to science.

These strange-looking beasts live on the abyssal plain of the central Pacific Ocean, at depths of 4 to 5000m. There, the seafloor is covered in potato-sized lumps of rock called polymetallic nodules. These contain vast deposits of useful metals including those needed for green technologies such as electric cars. So there is now a lot of interest and active exploration of this area as a potential source of these metals.

One of the challenges humanity faces is weighing up the pros and cons of extracting these metals from the deep-sea or traditional mines on land. There are many factors that need to be considered, one of which is the environment. To make informed decisions, governments and international bodies must have good information on the animals that live there, and how they might be impacted by mining. Our work collecting and documenting the diversity of life in these abyssal regions is just the start of that process. '

Cobalt is essential for making the batteries that power our mobile phones, laptops and electric vehicles. To meet net zero, millions more electric cars will need to be made, and millions of tonnes of cobalt will need to be mined. Scientists at the Natural History Museum are looking at another source: stockpiles of old batteries. Cobalt can be recovered through recycling, and scientists are working to improve every part of the complicated recycling process.

Agnieszka Dybowska, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘It’s currently difficult to extract and recycle cobalt from old batteries on a large scale. We are developing ways to improve the process to cut down the need for newly mined minerals from Africa. Materials like this should be reused, not wasted.’

Buy refurbished next time you upgrade your phone.

Dermot Jones from London, UK, is the Fixing Factory manager at the climate charity Possible. Fixing Factories are community hubs helping local people to repair their broken items.

Dermot says: ‘When something breaks, I now try to fix it instead of buying new. Household appliances are more repairable than we think – a quick internet search or visit to a repair cafe can do it. In 2023 to 2024, UK repair cafes saved an estimated 150 tonnes of waste. It’s kinder to the planet and our pockets.’

Every year thousands of elephants are killed. Sometimes it’s in response to damage to crops or human homes, but mostly it’s for their tusks. Despite the ivory trade being banned, and vast international efforts to protect elephants, criminal gangs are still killing them and smuggling ivory across the world. The ivory trade has been the biggest risk to elephants for over 300 years. As European countries expanded their colonies across Asia and Africa in the mid-1800s, millions of elephants were killed. Their tusks were made into everyday items such as buttons, cutlery handles and combs.

Roberto Portela Miguez, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘The illegal trade of ivory is declining, but it remains a significant threat to elephants. We need to tackle every part of the problem – from stronger law enforcement to battling corruption and reducing the demand for ivory.’

Three hundred years ago, cotton was one of Britain’s biggest imports. It was grown around the world, often by enslaved people on plantations, before being processed in British textile factories. Today, cotton remains a destructive crop, relying on low-paid workers, harmful pesticides and huge volumes of fresh water. Cotton production is changing, but only around 20% is classed as sustainable for farmers and the environment. The fashion industry continues to grow and now produces an estimated 8–10% of global carbon emissions.

Jovita Yesilyurt, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Natural fibres like cotton are better for the planet than synthetic ones like polyester. But, as consumers, it is our responsibility to demand sustainably and ethically produced clothes.’

Change the clothing industry through how you shop.

Amma Aburam-Bullens from London, UK is a Ghanaian/French sustainable fashion advocate, writer and founder of Style & Sustain magazine.

Amma says: ‘After watching a documentary on the impact of the fashion industry, my relationship with fashion changed for good. I realised that we have the power to shop mindfully and hold fast fashion brands accountable for their unsustainable practices. We aren’t just consumers – we can make a difference with our choices.’

Sumatran rhinos were once found all over Southeast Asia but today fewer than 80 remain in Indonesia. Not only are they under threat from hunting, their habitat is shrinking as rainforests are cut down or burnt to make way for coffee and palm tree farms. Indonesia was once one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, but only around 60% of its biodiversity is intact today. Biodiversity, the variety of all living species, is essential for the health of the planet. Scientists at the Natural History Museum have created a model to track biodiversity globally, so that the areas most at risk, like Indonesia, can be protected.

Sabine Nix, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Our Biodiversity Intactness Index measures how thousands of species are being impacted by farming, pollution and burning forests. With this information, we can help protect at-risk regions.

Write to people in power and ask for action.

Lucy Houliston from London, UK, is a director at Reserva: The Youth Land Trust, a non-profit organisation that empowers young people to take action for threatened species and habitats through conservation, education and storytelling.

Lucy says: ‘When it comes to championing and protecting threatened wildlife, your words can be incredibly powerful. I visit classrooms around the world, encouraging fellow young people to write letters to world leaders asking them to protect the animals we love.’

Solutions for the planet are also solutions for us.

We often think of ourselves as separate from nature, but our health is entangled with the health of every other living thing.

Climate change is already having a devastating impact on the planet and on us. Our bodies, homes and food supplies are harmed by increased temperatures and extreme weather. Destroying natural habitats increases the risk of diseases spreading from wild animals to humans.

Natural History Museum scientists are using our collections to understand the history of disease to help predict and prevent future pandemics. By tackling climate change we will create a healthier future with more green spaces, better air quality and more nutritious food.

Climate changes impacts our health

Greenhouse gases released by human activity cause climate change, which affects our health.

An infographic shows various impacts of climate change on human health

Air pollution

3000 hospital admissions due to the Australian wildfires in 2019 to 2020.

Food insecurity

46.3 million people affected by heath issues from food insecurity after the 2022 drought in the Greater Horn of Africa.

Infectious disease

50% of the world’s population is now at risk of dengue fever, in part due to climate change.

Mental health

$47 billion USD is the projected global cost of mental health conditions caused by hazards, air pollution and lack of access to green spaces.

Overheating

2.67 times more heat-related deaths in over-65s globally in 2023 compared with the 1990s.

Respiratory conditions

20 days added to the length of the allergy season in North America in 2018 compared with 1990.

Injury and physical harm

1,700 deaths due to flooding in Pakistan in 2022.

Health animated infographic

Why do we need a healthy planet?

Our health relies on a healthy planet.

Human actions such as deforestation can destroy ecosystems – harming plants, animals and other organisms.

Animals may move closer to humans – looking for food and shelter in villages, towns and cities.

This increases the risk of animal diseases spreading to humans.

Why do we need a healthy planet?

Our health relies on a healthy planet.

Human actions can improve the health of the planet. For example, mangrove restoration projects conserve coastal habitats.

Mangrove forests provide habitats for animals such as fish, birds, turtles and sloths.

Healthy mangrove forests are natural flood defences for coastal communities.

When we take care of our planet, there are benefits for our health, too.

This signpost does more than just show you where to go. The 12 types of lichen growing on it all tell you that it’s from an area with clean air. In most cities you’re more likely to see bright-yellow Xanthoria lichens, which thrive in polluted air. Burning fossil fuels has caused climate change and made air pollution a global problem, impacting the health of humans and the environment. Because many types of lichen struggle to grow in areas with significant air pollution, studies have found that in areas with fewer lichens, there are more incidents of respiratory diseases such as lung cancer.

Gothamie Weerakoon, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: We need to put an end to air pollution by switching to clean energy and electric vehicles. With cleaner air I hope we’ll see even more beautiful lichens in the future.’

Listen to Gothamie Weerakoon, a scientist at the Natural History Museum, explain how lichens can be used to measure air pollution.

'I’m the curator of lichens at the Natural History Museum. But what are lichens?

They’re not plants or mosses. Lichens are actually a mini ecosystem made of fungus, algae, and sometimes cyanobacteria. They each benefit by living in this partnership.

Scientists like me are interested in lichens because they can tell us a lot about the health of the environment they live in – good or bad.

Lichens are very sensitive to different types of pollution, such as nitrogen or sulphur dioxide in the air. These chemicals are released from all sorts of things – road traffic, fertilisers, and burning fossil fuels.

When something changes in the environment – when there’s more traffic, or a farmer has used a new fertiliser – lichens show these changes quickly. I can measure local pollution by monitoring colour changes and which species of lichens are present.

I’ve been using lichens to investigate nitrogen pollution in tea estates in Sri Lanka and in Himalayan forests.

The tea planters use fertilisers which contain nitrogen. Fertilisers help the tea plants to grow, but some nitrogen runs off the farms and harms the surrounding environment. I am monitoring changes to lichens in the area so I can see how far the pollution spreads.'

Tackle your climate anxiety by getting back to nature.

Daphne Frias from New York City, USA is a Latina disabled climate justice organiser who uses public health and storytelling to create change. She believes that all marginalised communities should have a voice in environmental solutions.

‘My community has high air pollution, and it made me anxious and frustrated – we all deserve clean air. But reconnecting with nature eased my anxiety. I learned that to protect our planet, we must fall in love with it. Even when things seem impossible, I remember that regeneration and renewal are always possible.’

Did the Covid-19 pandemic start with an infected bat? Many scientists strongly suspect that Covid-19 is a zoonotic disease passed to humans from animals. Zoonotic diseases are on the rise. Over 60% of diseases new to humans start in wild animal populations – HIV, Ebola and SARS all started this way. As we hunt and sell wildlife, squeeze animals into industrial farms and destroy natural habitats, we increase our likelihood of facing many more pandemics in the future. Museum scientists are studying bat collections to understand the past spread of disease, supporting efforts to control disease in the future.

Vince Smith, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘We have recently studied over 8,000 bat specimens from our collections, extracting genetic material from viruses that lived in the bats hundreds of years ago. By analysing this historical data, we can understand how diseases spread in animals.’

Horseshoe crabs are key in the creation of safe vaccines and injectable medicines such as insulin and some antibiotics. Their blue blood is harvested for its unique antibacterial properties. Pharmaceutical companies extract from the blood a chemical called LAL (limulus amoebocyte lysate), which detects whether vaccines or medicines are contaminated with lethal bacteria. Horseshoe crabs are the only natural source of LAL, but some companies now test their vaccines with synthetic alternatives, sparing the lives of these extraordinary animals.

Jan Beccaloni , a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘We rely on these incredible creatures to keep us safe – but our high demand threatens their survival. Synthetic alternatives have been around since the 1990s, but many countries still use horseshoe crab blood to test medicines. I want to see that change.’

Scientist Sandra Knapp has studied plant life for over four decades and has always advocated for protecting biodiversity. However, she didn’t expect plants would save her life when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sandra was treated with a chemotherapy drug called paclitaxel, derived from the Pacific yew tree. Many Indigenous peoples across the US and Canada have also used this plant as a medicine for a wide range of illnesses. Today, around 11% of drugs considered ‘essential’ by the World Health Organization originated in flowering plants. However, climate change and habitat loss are pushing many plants closer to extinction.

Sandra Knapp says: ‘I wouldn’t wish my cancer journey on anyone, but throughout my treatment I found solace in nature and an increased admiration for the diversity of life that ultimately saved mine.’

This touchscreen shows pages from Samuel Browne’s herbarium.

This book, compiled by a British surgeon in 1697, contains over 300 plants collected around Chennai, India. Many were known locally for their medicinal properties and uses – from soothing stomach aches to repelling insects. The surgeon, Samuel Browne, documented traditional knowledge from local people and plants’ names in Tamil and Telugu.

People have used plants for their healing properties for thousands of years. Today, around 40% of pharmaceutical products used draw from nature and traditional knowledge.

‘I’m interested in how the use of medical plants has changed over time and across cultures. Our team has identified every plant within this book to understand how Indian people were using them in the 17th seventeenth century.’

Ranee Prakash

Scientist at the Natural History Museum

Today, taking a pregnancy test is a simple procedure. However, from the 1930s to the 1960s, the main pregnancy test was a frog. Hundreds of thousands of African clawed frogs were exported to labs around the world from South Africa. The female frogs were injected with urine, and if they spawned afterwards, it indicated a positive pregnancy test. During this time some of the frogs escaped, spreading fungal diseases to critically endangered wildlife. The frog tests were discontinued as other more convenient tests emerged in the 1960s.

Isabel Davis, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘We’ve always wanted to enhance medical knowledge, and these frogs are part of that story. In apartheid South Africa, the benefits of the frog trade were not equally shared. Benefits derived from nature should be shared equitably and without damaging animal health.’

Light pollution impacts animal health in a variety of ways. Lighting our cities for long days removes the safety of darkness for nocturnal animals who are adapted to life in the dark. Insects, such as many moths and mayflies, can be drawn to streetlights, becoming easy targets for predators such as pipistrelle bats. Other species, such as the greater horseshoe bat, may avoid lit areas altogether. There’s evidence that for animals, including humans, extended days interrupt hormone production and can change sleep and feeding patterns. In humans, light can also affect our weight and mental health.

Stephanie Holt, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Reducing light pollution would be a win-win for people and wildlife – less light would mean lower energy bills, and protected dark corridors would allow nocturnal animals to hunt and mate more safely.’

Eat meat-free meals at least one day a week.

Niheer Dasandi from Birmingham and London, UK is a researcher at the University of Birmingham who works to better understand how we can protect people’s health from the impacts of climate change.

Niheer says: ‘My research shows that tackling climate change also improves our health. I was raised a vegetarian, but now I’m motivated to reduce my dairy intake too. Red meat and dairy contribute more than half of agricultural emissions worldwide, and eating a more plant-based diet is proven to improve health.’

Parasitic worms affect 1.5 billion people, and it’s thought climate change could increase this, as warmer temperatures and increased rainfall change how these parasites spread. People become infected through contact with infected soil and water, and can experience malnutrition, gastrointestinal issues and cognitive impairment. Museum scientists are part of a worldwide partnership that hopes to stop the cycle of reinfection for good. They are working with affected communities in Benin, India and Malawi to test whether giving entire communities medication can put an end to parasitic worm infections.

Marina Papaiakovou, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Everyone should have access to clean water and good sanitation to prevent infections, as well as medication to treat them. Our project is just one part of the bigger picture to combat diseases that could easily be prevented with access to the right resources.’

Hear Marina Papaiakovou, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, discuss her research on preventing parasitic worm infections.

'In a rapidly changing world, parasitic worms are a still major health issue, affecting about a quarter of the world’s population. They spread through contaminated food and environments – and while most worm infections can be treated, limited access to healthcare puts vulnerable communities at risk of getting sick.

To help fight this issue, the Natural History Museum was part of one of the world’s biggest scientific efforts to stop the spread of parasitic worms – a project called DeWorm3. We wanted to eliminate intestinal worms by giving medicine to entire communities over several years.

For over a century, we have looked for worms by analysing poo samples under a microscope. This method can show when someone is infected, but it doesn’t always tell us what kind of worm it is. Because of this, some infections might go unnoticed.

New tests can identify the type of worm through DNA analysis in poo, yet we need to study more worms from around the world to improve their accuracy.

This is where I come in. I analyse the DNA of parasitic worms. This helps me understand the global diversity of the worms and how they spread. I hope to improve our current diagnostic tools and help come up with new ways to track the infections and eliminate the worms.'

Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, Zika and dengue are a serious problem. Every year, 500 million people become infected. Only some species of mosquito carry diseases and feed on humans, but it’s difficult to identify the different species by eye. Scientists at the Natural History Museum are part of a team analysing mosquito DNA to tell different species apart. This knowledge could be vital in years to come, as urbanisation and intensive farming make mosquito-borne diseases more common, and as climate change makes many places warmer, wetter and better for some mosquitoes to live.

Erica McAlister, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Mosquitoes help the environment. They pollinate plants and are prey for all sorts of animals. But when we cut down forests to build farms and homes, we disrupt their natural environment, and then they’re more likely to feed on humans.’

The shift to low-carbon energy has started.

Around 200 years ago we unlocked the power of fossil fuels, which came to dominate energy systems in many countries around the world. Heatwaves and increased flooding are only some of the impacts we’re now witnessing as a result of this dependence.

Now, we’re shifting to a new system of lowcarbon energy, and globally there are more jobs in clean energy than in fossil fuels. But wind and solar energy rely on large quantities of minerals, and scaling up to meet demand is a massive challenge.

Through collections at the Natural History Museum, our scientists are learning more about the resources crucial to getting clean energy to everyone, everywhere.

Humans have driven climate change

Greenhouse gases have been released into our atmosphere in increasing amounts over the last 150 years, due to industrial activities. This has caused the average global temperature to rise to unprecedented levels.

A graph shows that that from 1850 to 2024 the average global temperature has increased. At the same time, the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions have risen from 4 billion tonnes to over 54 billion tonnes.

Energy animated infographic

What is net zero?

When the environment can absorb all the greenhouse gases that we emit, we achieve balance. This is called net zero.

Human activity such as burning fossil fuels, flying, and farming livestock, releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Oceans, forests and wetlands can absorb greenhouse gases.

We emit more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than can be re-absorbed by the environment.

The build-up of excess greenhouse gases is causing climate change.

To avoid the worst impacts of climate change we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and restore the balance.

This balance is called net zero.

In 2022 a UK woodland welcomed some surprising new residents: European bison. These large herbivores were introduced to see whether they could ‘engineer’ the forest to store more carbon. Carbon levels in the atmosphere must be reduced to restore Earth’s systems. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, locking carbon into their root systems and soil below the ground. The bison encourage a wider range of plant life by clearing paths, grazing, and fertilising the soil. Natural History Museum scientists are using DNA analysis to measure the number of species in the soil, to determine the effect bison are having.

Piotr Cuber, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Our DNA analysis provides evidence of what’s happening in the soil, giving a clear picture of changes to biodiversity. This information can influence how other forests and habitats are managed to maximise carbon storage.’

Hear Piotr Cuber, a scientist at the Natural History Museum, talk about his role in a new rewilding project.

'Forests are incredible ecosystems; they are home to thousands of different organisms – plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. Many of these are living in the soil underneath our feet.

In fact, woodlands are hugely important in storing carbon. That’s thanks to plants. Plant life performs photosynthesis, which assimilates CO2 – carbon dioxide - in their bodies. Then carbon is stored in the soil in the plant’s roots.

So how do we make sure our forests store as much carbon as possible? We’ve teamed up with Kent Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust to look at just that.

They’ve divided their forest into three sections – one managed by humans, one with domestic animals grazing on it, and one with European bison living there.

We think that bison might help the forest store even more carbon. They are grazers, chewing through old tree branches and opening up space for new plant life to grow.

We find that the more diverse the forest is, the more plants are there, and the more carbon is being stored.

I’m a molecular biologist, and it’s my job to test the soil to see which area of the woodland creates the most diverse community.

We bring the soil samples back to the Museum to extract DNA, analyse it using cutting edge technologies and compare it to all sorts of species to find the thousands of bacteria, and other microbes which help keep the forest healthy.'

Think of ways your job could help the planet.

Hannah Ritchie from Edinburgh and Oxford, UK is a data scientist and writer at Our World in Data, where she studies the world’s climate, pollution and biodiversity problems and makes them understandable for non-experts.

‘I use data to understand the world’s environmental problems and ways to solve them. This work helps policymakers make good decisions for the planet, helps innovators focus on effective solutions, and helps journalists spread the word. Whether you’re a nurse, an artist or an engineer, you can influence others to help the planet.’

Copper, a metal vital for conducting electricity, is in high demand. Though widely recycled, over a billion tonnes of additional copper is urgently required to build the renewable energy sources and electric vehicles needed for the world to reach net zero. Museum scientists are finding new ways to reduce energy use and minimise environmental impacts when sourcing metals. Every stage of the mining process is being explored, from developing new technology that effectively locates deposits, to using bacteria to extract copper from mine waste.

Ana Santos, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘We are looking at biomining, a process where bacteria extract valuable metals such as copper from mining and electronic waste. This is a more sustainable, nature-positive alternative to traditional high-temperature smelting.’

Sense-check your sources.

Jennie King from London, UK, works for the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. She researches how information spreads across social media, the tactics used to divide and deceive people, and what impacts this has on public life.

‘When browsing social media, I try to pause and read my “emotional temperature”. Is the content producing an extreme response, positive or negative? If so, that’s often a signal to assess the source and take a breath before liking, commenting, reposting, or using it to shape my opinions.’

Metals such as lithium are crucial for building batteries that power electric cars and store energy from renewable sources. But there’s a problem: switching every car in the UK to electric power would take three quarters of the world’s annual lithium supply. Faced with this challenge, scientists at the Natural History Museum are working out how to extract lithium from British granite. Sourcing lithium locally would reduce the emissions from importing it from other countries, and add to the global supply.

Alla Dolgopolova, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Lithium-rich rocks are widespread in the UK but extracting the pure lithium needed for batteries is difficult. We hope extracting lithium from Cornish granite will help reduce our dependence on Australia, South America and China for the lithium we need for clean power.’

Hear Alla Dolgopolova, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, talk about the UK’s first source of lithium.

'Metals like lithium power the technology we use every day. Your phone, your laptop, anything you can think of with a battery.

The UK and countries around the world are trying to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. It’s an ambitious target and we’ll need to switch to green energy like wind and solar, and using electric cars.

All of these things rely on lithium. It’s light and durable, and has great electric properties. We haven’t found anything else which works better as a battery metal – so we are going to need a lot more lithium to build green technologies!

Lithium is found in lots of different geological environments – we get most of it from mines in Australia or salt lakes in South America. But there is also lots of lithium in the UK, we just haven’t used it before.

I’ve been studying granites in Cornwall and I’m confident they could be a new source for us! Although we’ve always known there is lithium in the UK, the problem has been, finding a way of extracting it from the hard granite it is naturally found in.

I’ve spent my career as a geologist studying everything about these granites – but I never thought I would be unlocking the information we need to make batteries to reduce the Worlds carbon emissions.'

Formed over millions of years from buried plants, coal releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere within just a few minutes of being burnt. This fossil fuel has powered our lives for over 200 years, contributing to global heating of over 1°C. In the 1990s coal power stations generated 70% of the UK’s electricity. Although coal is still burnt in vast quantities globally, the UK closed its last coal power plant in 2024.

Paul Kenrick, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Europe is moving away from burning coal for electricity, but I’d like to see global investments in renewable energy rather than replacing coal with other fossil fuels like gas.’

Coral reefs cover just 1% of the ocean floor but are home to 25% of all marine life. As seas warm due to climate change, many corals are ‘bleached’ and can die. However, not all corals are struggling. Scientists at the Natural History Museum have joined teams in Malaysia to study reefs that grow in cloudy, fast-flowing waters close to the shore. In these areas, mud in the seawater acts as an umbrella, lessening the impact of the sun’s heat on the corals in warm seas. Giving these reefs a high conservation status would protect the marine life they support.

Nadia Santodomingo, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Corals provide half a billion people around the world with food, income and protection from coastal storms. We need to act now to help them.

Listen to Nadia Santodomingo, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, talk about her research on some long-forgotten coral reefs.

'Close your eyes, and imagine a coral reef. What does it look like? Crystal clear oceans, filled with bright, colourful corals and fish zipping through?

That’s just some of the story. I research coral reefs, and recently I’ve been looking at unusual reefs that grow in very muddy waters close to the coast of Borneo in Southeast Asia.

Everything we know about the best conditions for corals to thrive would make me think corals in darker, muddy seas couldn’t be successful, but these corals use the darkness as their superpower to survive.

While light helps corals to grow, with global warming corals often bleach and can eventually die. But the mud in the water acts like a parasol for the corals, shielding them from the sun.

I’m hoping that if we study and protect areas with muddy reefs then they’ll help repopulate other reefs that have bleached and are damaged.

Caring for our coral reefs is so important! While they cover only a tiny part of the oceans, they host over a quarter of marine wildlife! They are also barriers that protect us from storms, and provide food and livelihoods for more than 500 million people all around the world.'

Wildfires are predicted to increase by 50% by 2100, spreading to regions previously rarely touched by such ecological disasters, including the UK. Fires devastate whole landscapes, humans, animals and plant life, and bring endangered species including the koala closer to extinction. Compounding the problem, wildfires increase the rate of climate change, which in turn increases the likelihood of wildfires. The UN has called on governments to spend more on wildfire prevention and planning. Prevention techniques such as growing native plants and restoring biodiversity also make the environment more resilient to future fires.

Simon Loader, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Wildfires are impacting biodiversity worldwide. We need to focus our efforts on preventative measures – improving the quality of our habitats – to protect other species from extinction too.’

Surviving the freezing waters of Antarctica, microscopic cyanobacteria are the start of the food web for many polar species. They also provide a habitat for many other tiny organisms. However, in certain conditions, cyanobacteria can release dangerous toxins. Due to global warming, cyanobacteria blooms are becoming more frequent, endangering other species. Some of these cyanobacteria were collected during Robert Falcon Scott’s 1902 expedition to Antarctica. Natural History Museum scientist Anne Jungblut is comparing them to samples she collected in the 2020s to detect any increases in toxins as the Antarctic warms.

Anne Jungblut, a Scientist at the Natural History Museum, says: ‘Antarctica is warming faster than the rest of the world. By observing cyanobacteria, we can see how this critical food source is adapting and surviving, while at the same time monitoring the toxic threat it poses as waters warm.

Learning about the planetary emergency can be overwhelming and difficult, but there is hope, too. People from all walks of life are applying their passion, skills and influence to make positive changes for the planet and for us.

You can take action in many ways – whether you’re leading the charge in your school, business, community or government, or you’re joining up to support others, every action makes a positive difference.

We are all in this together.

Fixing Our Broken Planet is more than a gallery. We are creating an ecosystem of change by working with individuals, organisations, businesses and policy makers. Join us.

Sign up to find out about Fixing Our Broken Planet events, experiences, digital content and more at nhm.ac.uk/lets-fix-it.

We have pushed ourselves to act sustainably in making this display and refurbishing the gallery. This includes restoring, reusing and repurposing original architectural elements, using sustainable and non-toxic materials such as recycled ceramics and textiles, and minimising waste wherever possible.

We are also trying to understand the carbon emissions associated with the display and will use this as a starting point for improvement in future works. To find out more, visit nhm.ac.uk/sustainability