New York's Cooper Hewitt is trying to tackle the global challenge of climate change with its sixth design triennial, Nature. Director Caroline Baumann picks out five of the most forward-thinking designs in the show, covering issues such as animal extinction and plastic pollution.
The Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial, which opened on 10 May, takes over two floors of the Fifth Avenue museum, as well as its garden. It features projects by designers, biologists and scientists, with a large focus on combatting the effects of climate change.
"The exhibition as a whole is meant to be a call to action at this moment in our history when climate change is one of the most important global challenges facing us today," Baumann told Dezeen.
One million species on the verge of extinction There are 62 projects in the show, covering a wide range of fields. Works are grouped into seven categories: Understand, Simulate, Salvage, Facilitate, Augment, Remediate and Nurture.
On the whole, the show places a real focus on the role humans have played in global issues. Animal extinction gets a lot of attention, in line with the recent UN report that revealed that a million species of plants and animals are on the verge of extinction.

"Several projects focus on extinct species, and we want people to realise how dire this loss is," said Baumann. "The UN report was unbelievable and shows how timely this exhibition truly is."
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