Photos of the people resisting the reality of the climate crisis
- Text by Ben Smoke
- Photography by Milieudefensie/Friends of the Earth Netherlands, Niger Delta
For the last 10 days, all eyes have been on Glasgow as the world’s leaders meet to discuss solutions to the climate crisis. From milquetoast announcements that lack the ambition to fully contend with the scale of the crisis to the usual media circus around leaders and celebrities, it can become easy to view the fight against the climate crisis in the abstract.
The reality, however, is very different. Communities across the world are already on the front lines of climate breakdown. Many of them are marginalised and indigenous peoples, who have contributed least to the causes of devastating climate change. Time and time again, these communities, and the inspiring fight back they are leading, are absent from discussion.
That’s why Friends of the Earth have curated From Scotland to Sarawak, a new exhibition at Tramway in Glasgow, showcasing the stories of those resisting the reality of an overheated planet. The pictures, which show the very real impact of climate change happening now, portray communities and struggles across the world, marching and organising in unison against climate change.
Shaunna Lee Rushton, curator of From Scotland to Sarawak, told Huck: “These stories act as a reminder that the only solutions to the climate crisis are the ones that work for us all, which is especially pertinent as world leaders gather less than two miles away.
“From Scotland to Sarawak, and across the 18 countries represented in this exhibition, the drastically unfair impacts of climate breakdown are recognised. But despite these trying and varying circumstances, resistance is happening in local communities right across the world. Our connectedness is what offers us hope.”
The exhibition contains images showing the Doevi Kope community in Togo mobilising to prevent oil exploitation, Palestinian women running renewable energy projects, Indigenous Peoples of Sarawak protecting Malaysian forests and the Falkirk community-led campaign against petrochemical giant Ineos in Scotland, amongst others. In stark contrast to the stage-managed climate talks happening in Glasgow, the exhibition shows the hope and power that comes when communities and people come together to fight.
Below are a collection of some of the images on display for the duration of the COP26 summit.
From Scotland to Sarawak: Global stories of climate resistance is on show at Tramway, Glasgow, until 12 November 2021.
COP26 takes place between 31 October – 12 November 2021. Keep an eye on Huck’s live coverage of COP on our Twitter and Instagram, and read more about our climate takeover here.
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