How Photography and Storytelling Can Turn Apathy Into Climate Action

Cristina Mittermeier is a pioneering marine biologist and activist in the field of conservation and climate photography. In 2014 he co-founded SeaLegacy, a network of storytellers who nurture a community focused on restoring ocean health. In 2020, Mittermeier announced Only One, which uses the power of the media to inspire individuals to take action to rebuild life in the oceans, and this year it aligns with Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative in collaborative efforts. to preserve the natural world. Call to Earth is an initiative of CNN in collaboration with Rolex. The opinions expressed in this comment belong to the author.

(CNN) – I have spent most of my career as a storyteller, using stunning imagery and compelling personal stories to move people. Moving people is exactly what it takes to save our planet. We cannot afford to sit still any longer, much less back off.

Too often, the real threat of climate change can feel distant or overwhelming, depriving the allies we need of their sense of urgency and their drive to act. But I’ve seen how storytelling can turn apathy into action. Creating a connection through storytelling is the key to unlocking critical climate action in this decade.

In 2017, I posted a photograph of a Polar Bear emaciated on a barren arctic tundra using it as an entry point to a conversation about climate change. Millions of people saw this image and the resulting global dialogue provided an unprecedented insight into the work that is still needed to create a movement large enough to activate solutions.

Capturing even a small part of that polar bear’s story was enough to spark the global conversation I was hoping for, but we need more than one catalytic moment if we are to help drive true collective action to save our planet.

Last year, I worked with partners to found the Only One Collective, an organization that harnesses incredible visual storytelling to build a massive base of support for ocean conservation and climate action. We work with local leaders, scientists and innovators who are developing and applying critical solutions, and we ensure they have the audience they deserve, while mobilizing that audience to take action.

I have met with leaders from around the world who are working on the front lines of change, and their enthusiasm and commitment are contagious. I had the opportunity to learn from the group of young people on the island of Mo’orea, in the South Pacific, who call themselves the Coral Gardeners and who have taken on the enormous task of restoring their island’s reef.

I spent time with indigenous communities in Central America battling the overwhelming volume of plastic from the oceans that washed up on the shores of their ancestral homes. These are the people who face serious climate problems on a daily basis and are developing the kinds of solutions the world needs. These are the people we all need to listen to.

Mittermeier took this image in the Bahamas. “Hammerhead sharks are extremely vulnerable to overfishing and often end up being accidentally caught in longlines, an unfortunate tragedy that we can change by working together, and educating ourselves,” he writes. (Image courtesy of Cristina Mittermeier)

Ocean-based solutions

We know the general lines of what must be done to save our planet. We have to reduce carbon emissions to keep global warming within 1.5 ° C, and we have to do more to conserve the species and habitats that keep our planet healthy, protecting at least 30% of the oceans by 2030.

The good news is that ocean-based solutions can help drive more than 20% of the emission reductions we need. Mangroves are just one example of how marine life can act as highly efficient “carbon sponges”, storing up to 10 times more carbon per acre than a tropical forest. The figures are equally impressive in the case of seagrass beds and other forms of marine vegetation. Marine animals, such as whale and shark populations, are also impressive carbon sinks, with incredible climatic potential that we are only beginning to understand.

What’s going to save our climate is for more people to recognize that the ocean is not just a victim of climate change, but our way forward.

We have the potential to see a real impact in our lives. By 2030, we can reactivate ocean ecosystems to absorb nearly 4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to taking 2 billion cars off the road for a year. But these efforts have been chronically underfunded. We need to drive investment in blue carbon projects like seagrasses, algae, and mangroves, and accelerate the adoption of ocean-based renewable energy projects.

The feasibility of other nature-based solutions, such as seaweed reforestation and plastic-eating bacteria, is still being evaluated, but there is significant potential that is ready for further support and experimentation.

“In the calm blue of the Azores, I watched a blue whale, one of the last true titans on planet Earth and the largest animal in the world, flow to the surface and then submerge again with a gentle flick of its tail,” he writes. Mittermeier. The number of blue whales was decimated by the whaling industry, but public outcry helped curb the slaughter and the species is recovering. “They are a symbol of the power of nature and activism, and they remind us that our united voices can make a difference,” he adds.
(Image courtesy of Cristina Mittermeier)

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I hope that by bringing new energy and attention to this issue, the stakes, and the high-impact solutions that front-line communities and local leaders are already testing, we can make substantial progress in the next decade. Photography and storytelling play a critical role in driving the funding and activism we need, and I am grateful to be able to play a role in supporting these key opportunities.

The task is not easy, and photographing it is almost as difficult. Capturing an image powerful enough to instantly portray the urgency is like trying to photograph a slowly moving tsunami. In an imperceptible way at first, our coasts are altered and the temperature just a few degrees higher in the ocean. Then suddenly hurricanes become the norm, fires spiral out of control, and living seascapes turn into ghostly white graveyards.

Now we see these images almost daily, but we don’t make the necessary connections. It is time for us to realize that we can no longer afford to sit down and debate the “what ifs” of this global crisis.

The next chapter of life on Earth will be defined by the steps we take now, and to realize what is possible, the ocean must top our list of solutions.