2.2 Sources of images

The Climate Visuals [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] collection is a great place to start, especially as many of the photos are openly licensed, meaning that they can be used without cost. You might have noticed that they’ve been used throughout this course to show real people working towards positive solutions to the climate crisis. The Collections page contains categories such as ‘Ocean Visuals’, ‘Climate Causes’, ‘Climate Impact’ and ‘Climate Solutions’. To find openly-licensed images first register with Climate Visuals, then search for a specific theme. Doing so will allow you to filter the results by ‘Creative Commons licence’.

Figure 9 Christel Jacques leads her Wildlife Club of 8-year-old children on an outing to learn about mangroves in the Seychelles

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This is a photograph of Christel leading and teaching the club. She is pointing at something out of frame. Four children are visible, they are looking in the same direction and writing on clipboards.

Figure 9 Christel Jacques leads her Wildlife Club of 8-year-old children on an outing to learn about mangroves in the Seychelles

Nature-focused photography contests can be an effective way of inspiring people to take photos of natural environments and species that are affected by the climate crisis, and can also bring together multiple perspectives on similar issues. In addition, related online exhibitions can be a rich source of imagery for educators. For example, the annual photo contest held by The Nature Conservancy, a global conservation organisation, regularly attracts entries from around the world. In 2021 the contest received over 100,000 entries from 158 countries, and in 2022 a Climate category was introduced, intended to give photographers the opportunity to capture and share what climate change looks like in their own community and context. The 2022 winners from India, Bolivia, the United States, Bangladesh and Norway offer powerful images of the destruction and devastation caused by climate change and by human actions such as the dumping of waste and sewage into the natural environment.

Other online exhibitions connected with photo contests include the Environmental Photographer of the Year and the Commonwealth Foundation’s A Lens on the Climate Crisis in Africa. The latter features photos from 24 photographers in 12 African Commonwealth countries. A video on the exhibition webpage features the photographers explaining their work and is worth a look if you have the time.