From dust storm to drought, we share the climate photographs that could not be ignored
There are certain photographs that have changed the course of history. Usually, they are political: Tank Man in Tiananmen Square, Iraqi soldier on the Highway of Death, Napalm Girl in Vietnam. These photos are chilling but powerful.
Climate photographs are less celebrated but often just as powerful. Below, we chart 10 climate photographs that have brought the crisis of our times into sharp relief.
1. Earthrise
Photographer: William Anders
Date: December 1968
Location: Space
On Christmas Eve 1968, Nasa astronauts aboard Apollo 8 captured what would become one of the most iconic photographs of all time: an illuminated Earth seen above a moonscape.
It was the first colour photograph of Earth taken from space and became known as ‘Earthrise’. The image went viral and kickstarted a global environmental movement. In the US, 20 million people took to the streets to protest environmental destruction on the first ever Earth Day.
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace were founded in 1969 and 1971 respectively and the US government established the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. Today, Earthrise remains one of the most iconic climate photographs in history.
2. Dead albatross
Photographer: Chris Jordan
Date: September 2009
Location: Midway Island (USA), North Pacific Ocean
When photographer Chris Jordan heard about a tiny island in the North Pacific Ocean covered with thousands of dead birds, he became determined to photograph it. He set off to Midway Island some 1,300 miles (2,100km) northwest of Honolulu.
There, he shot the now iconic photo of a dead albatross chick with its stomach full of plastic. The image appeared in magazines and newspapers all over the world. It highlighted the devastating impact of plastic waste and made millions confront their personal role in the plastics crisis.
3. Coral bleaching
Photographer: Brett Monroe Garner
Date: March 2017
Location: Great Barrier Reef, Australia
In 2014, The Guardian newspaper published an obituary for the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Another followed in Outside magazine, this time going viral. Some scientists met this with disdain. They reasoned that if…
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