How photography and storytelling can turn apathy into climate action
I've spent most of my career as a storyteller, using stunning visual imagery and compelling personal stories to move people. Moving people is exactly what's needed to save our planet. We cannot afford to stand still any longer, let alone go backwards.
Too often, the very real threat of climate change can feel either distant or overwhelming -- robbing the allies we need of their sense of urgency and their drive to take action. But I've seen how storytelling can turn apathy into action. Building connection through storytelling is the key to unlocking critical climate action in this decade.
In 2017, I published a photograph of an emaciated polar bear on a barren arctic tundra using it as an entry point into a conversation about climate change. Millions of people saw this image and the resulting global dialogue provided unprecedented insight into the work still necessary to create a large enough movement to activate solutions.
Capturing even a small portion of that polar bear's story was enough to spark the global conversation I hoped for, but we need more than one catalytic moment if we're going to help fuel real collective action to save our planet.
Last year, I worked with partners to found the Only One Collective, an organization that leverages incredible visual storytelling to build a massive base of support for ocean conservation and climate action. We work with the local leaders, scientists, and innovators who are developing and implementing critical solutions, and make sure that they get the audience they deserve, while mobilizing that audience to take action.
I have met with leaders from all over the world working on the frontlines of change, and their enthusiasm and commitment is infectious. I had the chance to learn from the group of young people on the South Pacific island of Mo'orea who call themselves the Coral Gardeners and who have taken on the massive job of restoring their island's reef.
I spent time with indigenous communities in Central America fighting the overwhelming volume of ocean plastic washing up onto the shores of their ancestral homes. These are the people who are dealing with acute climate issues every day and are developing the types of solutions that the world needs. These are the people we all need to be listening to.
Ocean-based solutions
We know the broad strokes of what needs to happen if we're going to save our planet. We need to reduce carbon emissions to keep global warming within 1.5°C, and we need to do more to conserve the species and habitats that keep our planet healthy — protecting at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030.
The good news is that ocean-based solutions can help drive more than 20% of the reductions we need in emissions. Mangrove forests are just one example of how marine life can act as highly efficient "carbon sponges" — storing as much as 10 times more carbon per acre than a rainforest. Similarly impressive numbers apply to seagrass beds and other forms of marine vegetation. Marine animals like whale and shark populations are also impressive carbon sinks, with incredible climate potential that we're only just beginning to understand.
What's going to save our climate is for more people to recognize that the ocean isn't just a victim of climate change, but our path forward.
We have the potential to see real impact in our lifetimes. By 2030, we can revive ocean ecosystems to absorb nearly 4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year — that's equivalent to taking 2 billion cars off the road for a year. But these efforts have been chronically underfunded. We need to advance investment in blue carbon projects like seagrass, seaweed, and mangrove forests, and accelerate adoption of ocean-based renewable energy projects.
The feasibility of other nature-based solutions, like seaweed reforestation and plastic-eating bacteria is still being evaluated, but significant potential is out there and ready for more support and experimentation.
Bringing attention to the issue
It's my hope that by bringing new energy and attention to this issue, to the stakes and to the high-impact solutions that frontline communities and local leaders are already testing, we'll be able to make substantial gains in the next decade. Photography and storytelling have a key role to play in driving the funding and advocacy we need, and I'm grateful to be able to play a role in supporting these critical opportunities.
The task is not an easy one, and photographing it is almost as challenging. Capturing an image powerful enough that instantly portrays the urgency at hand is like trying to photograph a slow-moving tsunami. Imperceptibly at first, our shores are altered and the temperature rises just a few degrees more in the ocean. Then suddenly, hurricanes become the norm, fires rage out of control, and living seascapes turn into ghostly white graveyards.
We see these images almost every day now but we are not making the connections necessary. It's time we realize that we no longer have the luxury of sitting around and debating the "what ifs" of this global crisis.
The next chapter of life on Earth will be defined by the actions we take now and to realize what's possible, the ocean must be at the top of our list of solutions.
摄影和讲故事如何将冷漠转化为气候行动
我职业生涯的大部分时间都是讲故事的人，使用令人惊叹的视觉图像和引人入胜的个人故事来打动人们。移动人员正是拯救我们星球所需要的。我们不能再原地踏步，更不要说倒退了。
很多时候，气候变化的真正威胁可能会让人感到遥远或难以承受——剥夺了我们需要的盟友的紧迫感和采取行动的动力。但我已经看到讲故事如何将冷漠转化为行动。通过讲故事建立联系是开启这十年关键气候行动的关键。
2017 年，我发表了一张瘦弱的北极熊在贫瘠的北极苔原上的照片，并将其用作有关气候变化对话的切入点。数百万人看到了这张图片，由此产生的全球对话为创建足够大的运动以激活解决方案仍然必要的工作提供了前所未有的洞察力。
捕捉到那只北极熊故事的一小部分就足以引发我所希望的全球对话，但如果我们要帮助推动真正的集体行动来拯救我们的星球，我们需要的不仅仅是一个催化时刻。
去年，我与合作伙伴一起创立了 Only One Collective，该组织利用令人难以置信的视觉叙事为海洋保护和气候行动建立了庞大的支持基础。我们与正在开发和实施关键解决方案的当地领导人、科学家和创新者合作，确保他们获得应得的受众，同时动员这些受众采取行动。
我会见了来自世界各地在变革前沿工作的领导人，他们的热情和承诺具有感染力。我有机会向南太平洋 Mo'orea 岛上的一群年轻人学习，他们自称为珊瑚园丁，并承担了修复岛上珊瑚礁的大量工作。
我与中美洲的土著社区共度时光，与冲刷到他们祖先家园海岸上的大量海洋塑料作斗争。这些人每天都在处理严重的气候问题，并正在开发世界需要的解决方案类型。这些是我们都需要倾听的人。
基于海洋的解决方案
如果我们要拯救我们的星球，我们知道需要发生什么。我们需要减少碳排放，将全球变暖控制在 1.5°C 以内，我们需要采取更多措施保护物种和栖息地，以保持地球健康——到 2030 年至少保护全球 30% 的海洋。
好消息是，基于海洋的解决方案可以帮助我们减少 20% 以上的排放量。红树林只是海洋生物如何充当高效“碳海绵”的一个例子——每英亩储存的碳比雨林多 10 倍。同样令人印象深刻的数字适用于海草床和其他形式的海洋植被。鲸鱼和鲨鱼等海洋动物也是令人印象深刻的碳汇，具有令人难以置信的气候潜力，我们才刚刚开始了解。
拯救我们的气候是让更多人认识到海洋不仅是气候变化的受害者，而且是我们前进的道路。
我们有可能在我们的一生中看到真正的影响。到 2030 年，我们可以恢复海洋生态系统，每年吸收近 40 亿公吨的二氧化碳——这相当于一年减少 20 亿辆汽车。但这些努力长期资金不足。推进海草、海藻、红树林等蓝碳项目投资，加快推进海洋可再生能源项目落地。
其他基于自然的解决方案的可行性仍在评估中，如海藻重新造林和食用塑料的细菌，但巨大的潜力已经存在，并准备获得更多支持和实验。
引起对问题的关注
我希望通过为这个问题、风险和前线社区和当地领导人已经在测试的高影响力解决方案带来新的活力和关注，我们将能够在未来十年取得实质性的进展。摄影和讲故事在推动我们需要的资金和宣传方面发挥着关键作用，我很高兴能够在支持这些关键机会方面发挥作用。
这项任务并不容易，拍摄它几乎同样具有挑战性。 捕捉足够强大的图像以立即描绘手头的紧迫性，就像试图拍摄缓慢移动的海啸。 起初，我们的海岸在不知不觉中发生了变化，海洋中的温度仅升高了几度。 然后突然间，飓风成为常态，火势失控，生机勃勃的海景变成了幽灵般的白色墓地。
我们现在几乎每天都会看到这些图像，但我们并没有进行必要的连接。 现在是我们意识到我们不再有机会坐下来讨论这场全球危机的“假设”的时候了。
地球上生命的下一章将由我们现在采取的行动来定义，为了实现一切可能，海洋必须是我们解决方案的首要任务。
