Does climate change have an ‘image problem’?

Images are a key part of communicating climate change, and shape
how we understand the crisis unfolding around us. But while lots
of research has been done into the language we use to talk about
climate, images are often left out of the conversation.


As a result, over time, a limited set of images have come to
dominate how we think of climate change – like polar bears and
melting glaciers - which haven’t kept up with the changing
conversation about the crisis. All too often, these images tend
to be abstract, removed from our daily lives and typically don’t
feature people - when we know that climate change is happening
all around us, all the time, and is very much a story with people
and communities at its core.


So how can we develop a new, and more effective visual language
for climate change? What kind of images ‘work’ to both convey the
urgency of the crisis as well as inspire behavioural change? And
what are some of the ways in which photographers are seeking to
represent the crisis in a way that transforms apathy into action?


First broadcast – 27 December 2021


Guests: Cristina Mittermeier, photographer and conservationist
Arati Kumar-Rao, National Geographic Explorer and photographer
Toby Smith, Programme Lead at Climate Visuals Saffron O’Neill,
University of Exeter


Presenter: Neal Razzell Series Producer: Alex Lewis Producer: Zoe
Gelber Researcher: Lizzie Frisby Production Coordinator: Siobhan
Reed & Helena Warwick-Cross