Activists gather to demand clean air as Edinburgh Air Pollution Zone to be expanded. Image from Friends of the Earth Scotland. Photograph: MAVERICK PHOTO AGENCY, Creative Commons Licence 2.0

Climate change has an image problem.

The images that define climate change shape the way it is understood and acted upon. But polar bears, melting ice and arrays of smoke stacks don’t convey the urgent human stories at the heart of the issue.

Based on international social research, Climate Visuals provides seven principles for a more diverse, relatable and compelling visual language for climate change.

Their website contains a growing library of photographs to provide inspiration and guidance for campaigners, picture editors and communications practitioners selecting imagery for communicating climate change.

New research reveals how the UK public engages with imagery communicating the health impacts of climate change and the health benefits of low carbon measures.

It finds that, compared to images of floods, heat stress, and infectious disease, images showing air pollution were more effective for visually communicating the health impacts of climate change. The health consequences of climate impacts other than air pollution are not yet visually salient in the public mind.

More Information

Climate Visuals is a project of Climate Outreach.

Their website is https://climatevisuals.org/

They have images showing many different aspects of climate change. Image are either Creative Commons, Public Domain or Rights Managed.