How Images of Climate Change Influence Our Perceptions

By Thinkibility

Where is the climate changing?

If you put the words climate change into your search box and look at the images. We suspect that often you get images of polar bears standing on a small iceberg surrounded by open water, images of dry soil with cracks and crusts, and dramatic images of hurricanes, storms, bleached coral reefs, or wildfires.

By Andreas Weith – File:Endangered_arctic_-_starving_polar_bear.jpg, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89060415By USDA photo by Bob Nichols – https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2014/02/11/southern-plains-climate-hub-seeks-address-three-huge-problems, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89060994By Acropora at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30432059

These images show the devasting effects of changes in the climate. Yet, many of us do not see polar bears or bleached coral reefs. This might make it difficult to feel connected to the changes. It might make it easier to detach yourselves from the changes.

What images are relevant to where you live? What images show how you feel?

Do images from your local area make more impact? Why? Or why not?

Go here to see ten photographs from photographers drawing attention to climate change. Click here to see a gallery of children’s art.

Featured Photo by Scott Webb from Pexels