A new project opening at the Natural History Museum examines the devastating impact human beings and our economic systems are having on life on the planet.

'Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It' features a number of free exhibitions at the iconic museum in South Kensington, plus online events and information on how we can all help turn the tide on the ecological and climate emergencies.

The exhibitions that form the core of the project will feature over 40 items selected by the museum's scientists that convey the crises currently faced by Earth's fragile ecosystems.

Among them are the eerie skeleton of a long-extinct swimming dinosaur, and what appears to be the preserved body of a bat suspended in a jar.

Organisers said they want to highlight the ongoing, destructive impact human beings social and economic systems are having on the planet and have had in recent centuries.

"This free, evolving display explores how humans have transformed the natural world," a spokesperson for the museum wrote.

"Through over 40 objects chosen by Museum scientists, we reveal the consequences of our actions and examine some of the solutions that could help mend our broken planet."

The exhibitions will open in three stages across the year, with each underlining a key way in which human beings' current interaction with what we call the "natural" world is damaging and dangerous for the long term future of life on the planet.

The first, which opened on May 21, looks at 'The Food We Eat', the second (from July 23) will examine 'The Products We Use', and the third (from September 20) explores the climate crisis and global heating under the title "The Energy We Consume'.

Meanwhile, an online discussion scheduled for this Thursday and titled 'We Need to Talk About Extinction' will take a closer look at the sixth 'mass extinction event' that many scientists now say we are witnessing unfold across the Earth.

Click here for more information about the exhibition and how to check it out for yourself.