Espace pour la vie announces the launch of a new educational activity for school groups, linked directly to Emolab, the Montréal Biosphère's most recent exhibition. Presented as a laboratory, the exhibition introduces young people to the science of climate-related emotions an emerging field that helps us better understand how feelings influence our perceptions and actions.
Emolab, an exhibition on climate-related emotions
Presented since fall 2025, Emolab highlights the wide range of emotions that climate change can evoke, from worry to hope. The exhibition draws on the human and social sciences to explore how these feelings influence behaviours and engagement. It offers a thoughtful, participatory approach that is particularly relevant for school groups seeking to better understand an ever-changing world.
Practical information
Offered in English and in French, the school activity is available throughout the school year, from Wednesday to Friday, starting at 9:30 a.m. The activity lasts 75 minutes.
Reservations: espacepourlavie.ca
Each reservation also includes access to all exhibitions at the Biosphère, allowing teachers to plan a complete and varied educational outing while discovering this iconic building designed by American architect, inventor, and visionary Richard Buckminster Fuller.
Why offer an educational activity on climate-related emotions?
Recent studies conducted with young people highlight the importance of these issues: 8 out of 10 young people in Canada report that climate disruption affects their mental health (Journal of Climate Change and Health, 2023). "Young people feel deeply affected by what is happening in the world, but they often lack safe spaces to express these emotions. With the Emolab exhibition and its accompanying school activity, we help them put words to what they are feeling and turn that understanding into constructive pathways for action," explains Annick Boivin, activities officer at the Biosphère.
An activity designed to support classroom learning
The educational activity associated with a visit to Emolab is intended for students in Elementary Cycles 2 and 3, as well as Secondary Cycle 1. Depending on grade level, the mediation team invites students to name their emotions, reflect on the place of the living world in their daily lives, understand the links between emotions and values, and draw inspiration from examples of climate engagement. This approach offers teachers a concrete way to address climate issues differently, by connecting emotional literacy, social sciences, and civic reflection.
A complementary experience after the visit
Following the visit, a peaceful moment in nature allows students to explore emotional coping strategies related to climate change. Back in the classroom, teachers can extend the learning using educational resources from Espace pour la vie, including:
- the Episode 5 educational kit of The Amazing Earth podcast, which focuses on climate-related emotions (for students in Elementary Cycle 2);
- activities linked to the Inner Climate web series (for students in Elementary Cycle 3 and above).
These enrichment tools help reinforce in-class learning, building on the experience at the Biosphère and highlighting the mobilizing potential of climate-related emotions.
About Espace pour la vie
Protecting biodiversity and the environment is at the heart of the mission of Espace pour la vie, which groups the Biodôme, the Biosphère, the Insectarium, the Jardin botanique and the Planétarium. Together, these Montreal museums form the largest natural-science complex in Canada, and each year welcome more than 2.5 million people. In view of the challenges our planet is facing, Espace pour la vie is working to increase its impact by fostering dialogue with communities and taking actions aimed at mobilizing the public behind the socio-ecological transition.
