The New York Times has a hyperbole-filled review of a new exhibit on climate change at the American Museum of Natural History called, “Climate Change: The Threat to Life and a New Energy Future.” Some excerpts:

There is something almost biblical about these worst-case scenarios, apocalyptically suggested even in the subtitle: “The Threat to Life and a New Energy Future.” And if the plagues promised with global warming don’t include an onslaught of frogs, there is more than enough to worry about: the exhibition predicts proliferation of malaria and desperate foraging of wildlife.

And . . .

The show’s focus, however, is on how dire a state of crisis we are in. Emerging from this ambitious and, at times, overwrought show, you almost expect to see a new set of dioramas and fossilized skeletons showing how Homo sapiens once dwelt on this planet in arrogant mastery before the species burned its way to oblivion. This vision of global warming — already globally familiar – will also globe-trot to St. Louis, Cleveland and Chicago, as well as Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, South Korea and Mexico.

Well, I checked out this “biblical,” “ambitious,” and “overwrought” show yesterday. It has the look of a fancy high-school science fair project. This is surprising, actually: regardless of the topic, AMNH exhibits are usually quite good. Most of the other environmental messages peppered throughout the museum are designed to appeal to young children, but “Climate Change” was definitely for the adults, with the exception of this diorama of a polar bear forced to eat garbage:

And of course, like the environmentally hypocritical WALL-E, the one sure way to save the environment is through the consumption of stuff from the gift-shop that greets you at the end of the exhibit:

The exhibit is ”proudly presented by Bank of America.” Will Congress end vanity charity projects like this for banks taking federal bailout funds? Doubt it.