World View of Global Warming
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Copyright © 2005 - 2008
Background to the project: Initial proposal and photography
I am an environmental photographer who for 25 years has reported on natural
history in many parts of the world. In the course of many of these assignments,
scientists mentioned changes occurring over long time spans that might
be due to global warming. Very few of these changes were being photographed
... thus the genesis of World View of Global Warming.
"There is compelling evidence from all over the
world that our planet's weather and climate patterns are changing rapidly,"
began my initial proposal in Fall 1998. "Droughts, receding glaciers
and ice caps, extreme storms, rises in ocean temperatures and sea levels,
shifts in distribution of organisms and diseases - scientists tracking
these events overwhelmingly believe that global climate change is a fact.
Many think human activities are a significant contributing cause. But
this is not the message getting to the general public, nor is our political,
industrial and environmental superstructure dealing well with the reality.
"This project began in noticing that the details
of scientific evidence for global warming, and the publicity and policy
actions reported about it, were incongruent. This is a generally misunderstood
and muted issue. It is a serious challenge to journalists, photographers,
and public interest publications. Helping to correct this, to illustrate
the changes and research and publicize our stake in and possible responsibility
for global warming, are the goals of this project.
"Gary Braasch will photograph areas on all continents
that illustrate documented results of climate change. He is also seeking
to repeat historic photographs to show the changes. He will work with
environmental groups, scientists and editors to educate the public, urging
government and corporate sectors to more directly address the reality
of climate change."
In December 1998, this proposal received backing secured
from Blue Earth Alliance,
and initial funding was secured from the Wiancko Family Fund. Early in
1999 I sought advice from Dr. Ray Bradley of University of Massachusetts
(a co-author of the 1000 year temperature chart) and arctic climate change
expert Dr. Bruce Peterson of the Marine Biological Lab in Woods Hole MA.
I began seeking private grants and magazine assignments and other scientific
contacts (see Advisors and References).
By the end of 1999, I had crossed both the Antarctic
and Arctic Circles accompanying field researchers. The first photography
specifically for this project took place on a Discover Magazine assignment
to a National Science Foundation geologic research cruise to Antarctic
Peninsula ice sheets and glaciers.
Through hundreds of scientific contacts generously given
by many advisors, I have endeavored to focus on shrinking glaciers around
the world, coral bleaching, insect and animal range changes, rising sea
level, and other effects. As often as possible my photographs actually
show changes (or comparisons with old photographs), and all focus on locations
where scientists are studying change.
In 2004 and 2005 I completed the first stage of photography
thanks to renewed grants from the Wiancko Family Trust and a book advance
from University of California Press. This book is now due for publication
in spring 2007 under the title Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is
Changing the World. It features not only reports from scientists on our
changing world, but also an extended chapter on what is being done now
to keep global warming under control. See the Actions page for more information
on this.
World View of Global Warming will continue with return
trips to document changes in landscapes over these 7 years, and increasing
focus on the techniques and initiatives being used all over the world
to cut fossil fuel emissions and usher in a new age of energy and a cooling
planet. I am very dependent on continued private, institutional and publication
funding for this ongoing documentation.
In the short time since I started this project, science
has continued to build the evidence for ongoing rapid climate change,
as shown by the 2001 Third Assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC).
"Available
observational evidence indicates that regional changes
in climate, particularly increases in temperature, have
already affected a diverse set of physical and biological
systems in many parts of the world. Examples of observed
changes include shrinkage of glaciers, thawing of permafrost,
later freezing and earlier break-up of ice on rivers and
lakes, lengthening of mid- to high latitude growing seasons,
poleward and altitudinal shifts of plant and animal ranges,
declines of some plant and animal populations, and earlier
flowing of trees, emergence of insects and egg-laying
in birds."
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Summary
for Policymakers, Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation,
and Vulnerability,
Report of Working Group II, IPCC, Geneva, February 2001
page 3.
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Climate change and its effects will be one of the prime
events of the 21st century. It is real, it is accelerating across the
globe, and it will affect more people than does war. [chart of temperatures
from NOAA .gif file] Unfortunately the scientifically documented evidence
has been far from political debate, rarely written about, and only occasionally
seen by the public President Bush’s refusal to continue with the
Kyoto climate treaty has created more debate. The issue has come into
sharper focus with the rescue of the treaty by 178 other nations in
November 2001, and by continued scientific reports.
Through hundreds of scientific contacts generously given
by many advisors, I have endeavored to focus on shrinking glaciers around
the world, coral bleaching, insect and animal range changes, rising sea
level, and other effects. As often as possible my photographs actually
show changes (or comparisons with old photographs), and all focus on locations
where scientists are studying change. I am very dependent on continued
private, institutional and publication funding. In 2004 I will complete
travel to representative climate change locations and move forward on
a book to be published by University of California Press.
Read article by Gary Braasch
about his journey to Antarctica, from E Magazine.
See also Advisors and References. |