The Carbon Stories project is an initiative that aims to develop and address the issue of climate change through cultural heritage education. Carbon Stories was created to improve how the project’s partner museums adapt their narratives toward greener cultural heritage education.
Climate change has a fascinating and extensive history that, until now, museums have not been able to adequately explain to their audiences: human-caused global warming since the Industrial Revolution, how coal began to be used in industry and steam engines, deforestation, and the use of oil in internal combustion engines.
The project is led by the Workers’ Museum of Werstas (Finland), together with Neo Sapiens and other partner museums such as the Lewarde Mining Cultural Centre and World Heritage of Northern France, and the Slovenian Museum of Technology.
During the project, new types of guided tours, events, and workshops will be implemented in the partner museums, created through the study and analysis of the current landscape, with the aim of offering a new approach to storytelling and a more environmentally focused perspective. The partners will develop their own content, which will be used to test the effectiveness of different presentation methods and to share experiences.
In addition, Carbon Stories will culminate in the exhibition History of Carbon Black, which will open in spring 2027 and will tell the story of the partner countries (Finland, France, Slovenia, and Spain) from the perspective of global warming.
All project materials and results will be free and openly available for use by youth workers, volunteers, and educators, thus providing long-term benefits for the communities in which the partner organizations operate, and extending these results through their international networks as well. Follow us on our social media channels and visit our website to learn more about this project and its future activities.
The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect solely the views of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
Fechas: Diciembre 2025 – Octubre 2027
Partner organisations:
General objectives:
To create new climate-aware approaches to presenting industrial heritage in museums, fostering a paradigm shift in how industrialization and its consequences are reflected in adult heritage education.
Specific objectives:
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To develop new interpretations and educational tools that place the industrial era within the context of global warming.
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To increase awareness of the climate crisis as a long-term historical phenomenon.
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To re-examine historical narratives and enhance climate competence in adult education in museums.
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To create and test new learning methods to support museum visitor education.
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To turn museums into climate actors through their role as non-formal learning centers.
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To strengthen gender equality and climate justice through more inclusive and climate-aware narratives.
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To empower adult audiences to foster sustainable societies.
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To disseminate the project results through a multilingual digital toolkit, webinars, and final conferences.
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To implement new guided tours, exhibitions, events, and audio guides that reflect the climate-focused approach developed by Carbon Stories.
Climate-aware narratives (for guided tours and workshops at partner museums)
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New exhibitions focused on more environmentally-oriented narratives.
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Audio guide on the History of Climate.
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Four online webinars for people interested at the local, national, and international levels.
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A toolkit (a set of educational tools) summarizing all the materials, guides, and project steps developed by the partners.
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A final conference in Finland (project coordinator) as the project’s closing event.
The project began in November 2025 and will last for 24 months, ending in October 2027.
