“This pic shows how fragile Earth is–the thin band on the horizon is our atmosphere, the only protection from the vacuum & radiation of space” — Thomas Pesquet, astronaut. Photo taken from his recent mission aboard the International Space Station.

Climate Proof in Aching Beauty. Climate Actions in Spirited Defiance.

Make Our Planet Great Again! With art, money and lawsuits.

Early last month, Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Accord, joining Nicaragua and Syria as the only three non-signatories to the global climate deal (Nicaragua refused to join because the country believes that the Accord’s voluntary goals are insufficient).

This insane move is undoubtedly a setback for the planet, but in spite of the U.S.’ importance to the agreement, as one of the world’s largest emitters of carbon dioxide, climate progress is far from doomed. With market forces tipping towards renewables now and the impact of climate change felt closer and closer to home, the world is pressing on its sustainability movement with or without the U.S., and the U.S. is pressing on with or without the federal government.

China and India, which have been overachieving in the 18 months since the signing of the Accord, are poised to fill the leadership spot voluntarily ceded by the U.S. in the energy revolution which is creating new jobs and economic opportunities. In Europe, Emmanuel Macron swiftly launched Make Our Planet Great Again, welcoming American scientists to France with open arms.

Climate leadership is emerging within the U.S. as well, not only from “tree-hugger” activists but also from Corporate America and state and city governments. To them, movement on climate change is no longer just about corporate social responsibility or political ideology, but also about protecting the real interest of their stakeholders.

Business. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with $5.4 trillion in assets under management, lists “Climate risk disclosure” as one of its Investment Stewardship Engagement Priorities for 2017–2018, after internal studies to understand climate change concluded that it presents significant investment risks and opportunities with the potential to impact the long-term shareholder value of many companies. Some of the largest companies in the U.S., including tech companies, Dupont and General Motors, urged Trump to stay in the agreement. GM has committed to 100% renewable energy by 2050, pledging to source global electricity from wind, sun and landfill gas.

States. Hours after Trump’s announcement, three state governors — Jay Inslee of Washington, Andrew Cuomo of New York, and Jerry Brown of California announced the formation of United States Climate Alliance, a coalition of states committed to upholding the objectives of the Paris Accord. As of July 11th, thirteen states and Puerto Rico had joined the Alliance, including two with Republican governors: Massachusetts and Vermont.

Cities. Mayors across the country are also stepping up. The day after Trump’s announcement, several mayors, including William Peduto of Pittsburg, whose citizens Trump claimed to represent in justifying his decision; Republican Jim Brainard of Carmel, IN, and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, whose city is dealing with coastal erosion and rising sea levels, pledged to take the lead on fighting climate change. Before the month ended, Michael Bloomberg unveiled the American Cities Initiative, a $200 million program aimed at empowering cities to generate innovation and advance policy that address unprecedented challenges they face, from climate crisis to gun violence.

Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Robin Loznak and Win McNamee/Getty Images News.

Young citizens and legal action. Just before Independence Day holiday break, a trial date was finally set for a groundbreaking, climate-change lawsuit brought against the federal government. Twenty-one youths, ages 9 to 21, had sued the federal government for violating their constitutional right to a healthy climate system by failing to safeguard a livable Earth for future generations. The suit claimed that “the government has known since at least the 1960s that climate change is real, that it’s caused mostly by humans’ use of fossil fuels, and that it deliberately covered up that certainty.”

After the case overcame multiple hurdles threatening to prevent it from moving forward, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin ordered that the trial begin Feb. 5, 2018.


In solidarity with these youths, and in Essinova-fashion, here we feature recent works from three groups of world-renowned scientists and artists, with visually impactful imagery as evidence of climate change. As if more proof is needed.


French astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s ode to Earth in pictures

Thomas Pesquet returned to Earth less than 24 hours after Trump’s announcement. The astronaut had this to say: “I took the #ParisAgreement to the ISS: from space, climate change is very real. Some could probably use the view” . @Thom_astro #MakeOurPlanetGreatAgain

At 39, Frenchman Thomas Pesquet is the youngest on the European Space Agency’s roster of astronauts. On June 2, after a six-month mission on the International Space Station (ISS), his first trip to space, Pesquet returned to Earth with crewmate, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy.

A polyglot who speaks French, English, German, Russian and Spanish, and an accomplished sportsman with a black belt in judo and advanced licenses in scuba and skydiving, along with interests in a long list of other sports and outdoor activities, Pesquet is a superstar in France and beyond, with 561,000 followers on Twitter.

In between 60 scientific experiments and two spacewalks to conduct maintenance on the ISS, Pesquet turned around to his home planet and took spectacular photographs from space, showcasing magnificent vistas, natural and man-made, from his unique vantage point. While exclaiming on the heart-stopping beauty of the planet, he sometimes explicitly remarked on the evidence of climate change.

“Waves are majestic, both up close and from space. As I watch them from here, I can just about imagine the sound of water hitting the shore” @Thom_astro
“Betsimboka river, Madagascar, with its vivid colors: bright reds and purples mixed with blue and lush green. Nature is beautiful!” @Thom_astro #EarthArt
“How can a river produce such elaborate and beautiful shapes and color? Sometimes I want to drop my camera and just watch the beauty of Earth” @Thom_astro
“The ‘eye of Africa’ in the Sahara desert, Mauritania. It has a diameter of almost 50 kilometres and has been a landmark for astronauts for a long time. It was originally thought to be a meteorite impact crater but know scientists think it was caused by erosion.” @Thom_astro Credits: ESA/NASA.
“Paradise in the Indian Ocean: the beautiful Maldives, threatened by the rising water level” @Thom_astro #climatechange
“Venice is one of the many cities that will suffer from sea-level rising” @Thom_astro @la_Biennale #BiennaleArte2017

“We talk of two degrees (Celsius) or four degrees — these are numbers which sometimes exceed human understanding. But to see the planet as a whole… to see it for yourself… this allows you to truly appreciate the fragility.

“For some reason, it takes all of this technology for us to come up here and understand the simplicity of things — the Earth, the cosmos and life itself as a unity… From here, it’s really difficult to understand borders, wars and hate.”

— Thomas Pesquet


The Water’s Edge: stunning images of the world’s endangered places

“Almost 90 percent of an iceberg (or ‘ice mountain’) is underwater. The foot or underwater portion of this iceberg could be at well over 200 feet deep. Icebergs are stunning to look at but they are a reminder that glaciers are receding and ice shelves in Antarctica are breaking up faster than we ever thought possible. If all of Antarctica and Greenland melted, global sea level would rise by as much as 230 feet, covering all of the major coastal cities in the world.” L: Tip of an iceberg. R: Seawater rushes through the channel of a melting iceberg in the high Arctic of Spirtsbergen, Norway. Photos and narration by Paul Nicklen.

In celebration of World Oceans Day on June 8 and coinciding with the Ocean’s Conference June 5–9, photographers and life partners Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier put on an exhibition titled “The Water’s Edge” at the newly-opened Paul Nicklen Gallery in SoHo, New York City, showcasing their stunning photographs of sublime but fragile coastlines and endangered ecosystems, from the icy waters of the Arctic to the shores of Papua New Guinea.

Paul Nicklen is a Canadian photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist who has documented the beauty and the plight of our planet for over twenty years. While Pesquet’s images captured continents, oceans and the planet in totality as Nature’s divine creation, now visibly compromised, provoking contemplation of humanity’s place in the Universe, Nicklen’s photographs zoom in on life species and their habitats, especially wild life on remote edges of the planet, eliciting emotional connections with them. Both come from journeys into realms experienced by few, in extreme conditions. Both inspire awe and awaken the impulse in us to protect and heal our interconnected home.

Paul Nicklen, National Geographic assignment photographer, filmmaker and marine biologist

As an assignment photographer for National Geographic, Nicklen captures the imagination of a global audience. His sensitive and evocative imagery has garnered over 30 of the highest awards given to any photographer in his field, including the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the prestigious World Press Photo for Photojournalism. Most recently, Nicklen was bestowed an honorary PhD at the University of Victoria, for the impact his photography has had on climate change.

Here are some of Nicklen’s iconic photographs, bringing us up, close and personal to polar bears, walruses, seals, penguins, dolphins and narwals, all being threatened by climate change.

Journey of the White Bear. “Polar bears must adapt to changing sea ice conditions. They are great swimmers, yet without sea ice they cannot jump from floe to floe to hunt.” Photography and narration by Paul Nicklen.
“While polar bears are magnificent swimmers, catching food in open water isn’t easy — in fact, it’s nearly impossible. The sea is freezing later each fall and melting earlier each spring, diminishing the polar bears’ hunting season and their feast.” Photography and narration by Paul Nicklen.
Starvation. “We have always been able to find bears roaming around on sea ice throughout the summer. On this occasion however, we didn’t find any sea ice and we never found any bears alive.” Photography and narration by Paul Nicklen.
“When I refused her constant offerings, she would get frustrated and blow bubbles in my face. After I continuously refused her offerings of penguins over a four day period, she appeared to become frustrated and blew a large and steady stream of bubbles out of her nose.” Photography and narration by Paul Nicklen.
“A mother walrus smells her new born pup while drifting around the Arctic ocean on a pan of ice. Walrus give birth to their pups on pans of multi-year ice which is ice that lives for many years. Projections are that the Arctic will be completely void of ice during the summer months in the next 10 to 20 years which means that all multi-year ice will disappear. Where will these mothers give birth? Where will they rest and dive from to feed on the rich clam beds below?” Photography and narration by Paul Nicklen.
Leopard Seal Siesta. “After a busy morning of hunting, a leopard seal rests on a chunk of glacier ice.” Photography and narration by Paul Nicklen.
“A ringed seal watches me from her hole in the ice. Ringed seals keep several breathing holes in the ice to avoid polar bears. As sea ice melts sooner each spring, and freezes later each fall, both seals and bears are rapidly losing their Arctic home.” Photography and narration by Paul Nicklen.
“That dreamy moment when the oceans surface tension bends and molds around the slick bodies of Northern Right whale dolphins off the coast of British Columbia.” Photography and narration by Paul Nicklen.
Pod of narwhals, “‘Unicorns of the Sea’, fighting for a chance to breath during their intense feeding session on polar cod.” Photography and narration by Paul Nicklen.
L: An Emperor Penguin releases countless micro-bubbles from its feathers as it rockets towards the surface. R: “Trekking from the ocean to their nesting sites, sometimes for several kilometers, emperor penguins face a multitude of dangers — from leopard seals, to calving icebergs, to extreme storms. More than 30% of emperor penguin colonies are under threat from disappearing sea and glacial ice. Together, we can take swift and serious action to stop climate change and ensure that we continue to share the planet with these incredible creatures.” Photography and narration by Paul Nicklen.

Racing Extinction — the film exposing the hidden world of extinction with never-before-seen images

Racing Extinction, a 2015 documentary about the ongoing Anthropogenic mass extinction of species and the efforts from scientists, activists and journalists to document it. by Oscar-winning director Louie Psihoyos, who directed the documentary The Cove (2009).

At the Narrative Summit on June 20 in San Francisco, organized by the Digital Narrative Alliance, I had the opportunity to meet Oscar-winning film director Louie Psihoyos, who directed the 2010 Academy Award winner of Best Documentary Feature, The Cove (2009), an exposé on mass dolphin hunting practices in Japan.

If Nicklen’s beautiful imagery gives you an eerie sense of invisible human hands pushing those magnificent marine animals to the edge of existence, Psihoyos’ next film, Racing Extinction, reveals those hands in sharp foreground. This 2015 documentary about the ongoing Anthropogenic mass extinction of species spotlights the tragic slaughtering of sea life all around the world. Racing Extinction addresses two major causes of species extinction: climate change and the wildlife trade. Marine species are featured prominently for both, from tiny organisms whose shells are dissolving as a result of acidifying ocean water, to large whale sharks caught for their fins, meat and oil. The film also documents the efforts of scientists, photographers and volunteers to protect endangered species.

Louie Psihoyos, National Geographic photographer, documentary film director and activist

While Pesquet the astronaut and Nicklen the conservationist are clearly outspoken about the planet in peril, Psihoyos the activist is downright forceful in his approach. For Racing Extinction, as for The Cove, his team used covert tactics and state-of-the-art technology to investigate and reveal illegal wildlife trade activities, carbon dioxide and methane emissions, and the degradation of marine ecosystems, stirring controversies if need be.

In collaboration with Obscura Digital, with funding from Li Ka Shing Foundation, the filmmakers have also been producing large-scale architectural shows projecting astonishing images of critically endangered and extinct species from a custom Tesla Model S fitted with a 15,000 lumen projector system, onto high-profile buildings including Shell factories, Wall Street, the UN headquarters, the Empire State Building, Taj Mahal, Rockefeller Plaza, and even the Vatican.

Below are video clips and photos of these gripping and provocative shows.

The large-scale architectural projection show on St. Peter’s Basilica entitled: “Fiat Lux: Illuminating Our Common Home” was presented as a gift to Pope Francis to celebrate the opening of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. In writing his impassioned plea for greater focus on the environment, Pope Francis cited areas of particular concern: pollution and climate change, the lack of clean water for much of the world’s population, and loss of biodiversity. Using 21st century art and 50 high lumen projectors, the show was presented as a visual symphony in seven movements. It featured the work of some of the world’s most noted humanistic and nature photographers and filmmakers. The projection was produced in collaboration with Obscura Digital.
“Fiat Lux: Illuminating Our Common Home”
“Fiat Lux: Illuminating Our Common Home”
“Racing Extinction” on Taj Mahal
“Racing Extinction” on Rockefeller Plaza

By showcasing the amazing work by these scientists, photographers and filmmakers, we at Essinova hope to offer moral support to the climate-change class-action suit brought by the youths discussed at top.

“Regardless of the outcome, this pioneering lawsuit has altered the global conversation about constitution-based claims for protecting against and responding to climate change,” says James May, a law professor and chief sustainability officer at Widener University. “Such claims have the potential to be instrumental in addressing ineffective, inept, or incongruent national policies. They also represent a beacon of hope for rule-of-law based response to the biggest challenge humankind has caused, and faced.”


PS:

Just as this article was published, “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power” started hitting theaters. Will the new film, representing the second chapter of Al Gore’s life-long crusade for the environment, have the same seismic, game-changing, point-tipping impact its predecessor “An Inconvenient Truth” had 11 years ago?

Time will tell, but Donald Trump has certainly made the follow-up still necessary, and all the more timely. Meanwhile, coal workers would have been better-off under a president who confronts reality with a viable plan for their future.

Essinova Journal

Reviewing the leading edge at the intersection of art, science, culture, design, technology and innovation.

Thanks to Tim McCormick

BeiBei Song 宋贝贝

Written by

#Innovation strategist. #Creativity agent. Executive educator & coach @StanfordBiz. #Art #science #tech fusionist & curator. Founder @Essinova.

Essinova Journal

Reviewing the leading edge at the intersection of art, science, culture, design, technology and innovation.

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