“Nature, Crisis, Consequence” confronts the realities of climate change head on. Making use of the museum’s permanent collection, recent acquisitions, and loaned works, the exhibition doubles as an important history lesson. Subjects include the story behind Central Park’s creation, which saw the razing of homes and churches; the early environmentalism of the Hudson River School painters; and the human and environmental costs of America’s transcontinental railroads. The tension between runaway progress and sustainable land use is nothing new. —Clara Molot