# ORBACLE B | FEEDER

## WHAT'S HAPPENING TO BIRDS IN MINNESOTA BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE?

Reducing emissions that are causing climate change begins with understanding how we're using energy, where our energy comes from and how energy choices are made. In Minnesota, we use most of our energy (80%) to earn a living, commute to and from work, and transport products. The remainder is to keep our homes comfortable, lit and connected. For at least a century, Minnesota's electricity system has been largely reliant on fossil fuels imported from other states and countries. Today, Minnesota receives more than 55% of its electricity from U.S. coal-fired plants, the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in our state. However, in the last decade, the state's use of coal has dropped by 33% [3].

Over half of Minnesota's birds are threatened by climate change. Orbacles attempts to visualize and make legible this threat by highlighting future scenarios. Orbacle A | Shelter represents a baseline for comparison, with one shelter for each of the 147 bird bird species prevalent in Minnesota today. Offering two possible futures, Orbacle B | Feeder showcases a low emissions scenario and Orbacle C | Bath showcases a high emissions scenario. Both future scenarios are based on data-driven, peer-reviewed scientific research [2,4].

The installation expands the field of methods used to communicate this scientific information and the public urgency around climate change. Rather than narrowing understanding to singular topics, Orbacles intends to spur recognition, contemplation, questioning, conversation, and response to the dynamic atmospheres already present in the site and throughout Minnesota.

## FEEDER

Here is a giant bird feeder filled with native Minnesota grains (millet, flax, sorghum and whole kernel corn) and seed (thistle, sunflower and safflower). Orbacle B | Feeder showcases the effects of the low emissions scenario on endangered bird species in Minnesota by revealing what species will increase, decrease, or disappear altogether. Feeder is representative of the four major habitats (four different grain types) distributed proportionally amongst the modules.

### What do you smell?

Scent diffusers are tucked away in several unoccupied bird feeders. Scents of Minnesota's four shifting landscapes: Aspen Parklands, Boreal Hardwood Transition, Prairie Hardwood Transition and Prairie Parkland.