Under the auspices of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Cairo, and in collaboration with Port Said Governorate, « Photopia » organized « Down to Earth: Climate Change and Climate Futures » exhibition, curated by « World Press Photo », in Princess Feryal’s Garden. This comes in coincidence with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30) in Belém, Pará, Brazil, in the heart of the Amazon region.
The exhibition includes twenty-one winning projects from the « World Press Photo » archive, dedicated to showcasing photos on climate change and its future, with an emphasis on photographic stories captured during the 21st century.
Photopia’s founder and executive director, Marwa Abu Leila, stated, « While world leaders meet at the (COP 30) to tackle ways of addressing climate crises, the exhibition offers, through its photographed stories, a living and documented visual testimony to the environmental destruction of earth. It has increased dramatically and its impacts have become vivid in our lives in recent decades. The photographed stories don’t only highlight the crisis scale, but also invites reflection and opens new horizons for considering solutions to ensure a more balanced future for humanity and the planet ».
The exhibition presents two interconnected narratives; one of crisis and one of adaptation and resistance. The first half presents images from around the world depicting environmental destruction exacerbated by the climate crisis – coal and oil extraction, waste, rising sea levels, wildfires, and droughts. These photographs reveal the devastating impact of industrial forces on ecosystems and communities, urging us to reckon with the scale of these crises and their global reach.
The second part shifts focus to hope and action. It presents the faces and places of resistance: alternative energy development, scientific food solutions, Indigenous practices, and protests against oil pipelines that seek to preserve the earth’s fragile balance. These images show the power of collective action and innovation, demonstrating how human creativity and care can offer new ways of living on earth. The exhibition invites us to reflect on our place in a deeply interconnected world. It challenges us not only to confront environmental devastation but also to recognize the actions of communities around the world that are helping to shape a more sustainable future.
Among the exhibition’s photographers are: Indonesian Abriansyah Liberto, Venezuelan Adriana Loureiro Fernandez, Italian Alessandro Cinque, Canadian Amber Bracken, American Ami Vitale, Armenian Anush Babajanyan, Slovenian Ciril Jazbec, German Daniel Chatard, Eddie Jim (Hong Kong), Dutchman Jasper Doest, Nigerian Jere Ikongio, Dutchman Kadir van Lohuizen, American Katie Orlinsky, Brazilian Lalo de Almeida, Italian Luca Locatelli, Australian Matthew Abbott, Moroccan M’hammed Kilito, Filipino Noel Celis, French Sandra Mehl, and Italian Simone Tramonte.
Port Said Governor, Major General Moheb Habashi, said that Port Said’s hosting of this international event highlights the commitment of the Egyptian state’s to addressing climate change through implementing explicit policies to limit emissions, expand clean energy projects and the green transition, and launch the National Climate Change Strategy 2050, along with the Decent Life Initiative. Major General Habashi also noted that art and documentary photography play a vital role in shaping communities’ awareness of environmental and climate issues, praising the role of Photopia and World Press Photo in regarding art as a tool for raising awareness and stimulating positive thinking towards protecting the planet.
A senior delegation from the Embassy of the Netherlands in Cairo attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition, including the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Netherlands, Eva Wittman, and Public Diplomacy Advisor, Sally Barsoum.
It is noteworthy that « World Press Photo » is an independent, non-profit organization. It seeks to shed light on the power of photojournalism and documentary photography in deepening understanding, promoting dialogue and inspiring action. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1955. Through its annual and thematic exhibitions, it reaches millions of people in more than 80 locations around the world every year.
