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Pilot Project: Mobility issues with climate change

A considerable amount of the pollutants in the atmosphere arises from traffic-related emissions. Responsibility for this belongs mainly to carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NOx), other volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen dioxide (N₂O) as a product of the increased use of catalytic converters.

The share of traffic in human activity related CO₂ emissions is estimated at 20%. NOx, VOC and CO from traffic emissions contribute to the formation of ozone by photochemical reactions. The increase in O3 concentrations in particular areas is essentially due to traffic.

The main aspects of the pilot project were:

1. An exhibition unit on the topic “Traffic and environment” in the Verkehrszentrum (from summer 2006) containing the following units among others:

• Focus on individual impacts using interactive media stations about the connection between traffic choices and CO₂ emissions: the program helped with recognizing individual mobility models and answered the question of how individual traffic choices (including the choice of particular vehicle types) affects the emission of harmful chemicals.
• Interactive demonstration of  the consequences and scenarios of climate change and physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere.
• Biographical unit covering selected scientists and engineers who are working on relevant model calculations, scenarios and solution approaches.
• Presentations of vehicles, engines, catalytic converters etc., that were/are suitable for reducing emissions.

2. Exhibition elements in the environment gallery:

• A scenario of 5 globes, showing the climate system in its systematic dimension
• An interactive computer quiz on that issue
• An interactive game on climate change
• Uup to date information from the International Panel on Climate Change

3. A threefold school-program on:

• Traffic in the traffic gallery
• Pollution in the environment gallery
• Informed discussion between pupils, scientific experts, represents form politics and industry

The school program comprised work sheets designed for young people as the main connecting theme to grasp the meaning of the exhibitions (also accessible on the website).

4. Development of a (bilingual) addition to the Climate Website of the Deutsches Museum: http://www.deutsches-museum.de/dmznt/climate/index.html

The website provides information in an appealing way about the following aspects:

• Traffic-related climate-relevant emissions, their development in recent decades, their consequences, their main causes
• Effects of particular mobility models on traffic-related emissions
• Technical solution approaches towards minimizing traffic-related harmful emissions

Target age group
10-16 years old

Languages
German and English

Methodology

• Interactive elements, exhibits and texts in the galleries
• School programs on environment and traffic including work sheets
• Informed discussion between pupils, scientists and politicians

Outputs

• Website
• Exhibitions
• Report

Impact

• Link important issues such as climate change with relevant school subjects from the science and social sectors, including cross-curricular activities
• Attract non-science teachers to co-operation with the Deutsches Museum
• Raise awareness of individual responsibility in climate change and traffic
• Identify the players in the traffic game, facilitate informed discussion with them and among pupils

Evaluation strategy

• Questionnaires
• Interviews to optimize the school programs and website

For further information see the PENCIL deliverables:

D10 Assessment of Pilot Projects:
Case studies illustrating the work of each of the Pencil pilot projects (pdf, in English).

D24 Pilot Project Outcomes:
The objectives, the learning activities used, the methodology employed and the results of the pilot projects (pdf, in English).

Pilot coordinator

Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany

Founded in 1903 by the engineer Oskar von Miller, the Deutsches Museum in Munich is now one of the most important museums of science and technology worldwide. With 55,000m2 of exhibition space and an extensive stock of valuable original technical and scientific exhibits, it is not only one of the largest museums in the world, but also one of the most successful, attracting almost 1.5 million visitors a year. It presents the technical and scientific achievements of the last 100 years in an exciting and accessible way, whilst also reflecting the related process of social change.

Contact details

Deutsches Museum, Museumsinsel 1,
D-80538 Munich, Germany

Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum, Theresienhöhe 14a,
80339 Munich, Germany
www.deutsches-museum.de

Project coordinator

Dr. Elisabeth Schepers
Tel. 0049 89 21 79 486 e.schepers@deutsches-museum.de

Partners

Scientific partners

• Scientific network of climate exhibition
• Scientific network of traffic exhibition

Educational partners

• Six teacher training institutes
• Fifteen schools
• Schule und Wissenschaft – an organisation for cooperation between schools and science centres