CLIMATE CHANGE THE ICE IS MELTING
PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES STUNNING IMAGES OF THE POLAR ICE CAPS SLOWLY DISAPPEARING IN A BID TO CHANGE PERCEPTIONS ‘BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE ‘I hope that with visual documentation my work will demonstrate to the public that climate change is real, and that we nee
An environmental photographer has revealed the extraordinary journey she embarked on to capture dozens of stunning images showing the various angles of the Arctic melting. Diane Tuft travelled around the North Pole, Norway and the icebergs of Greenland to document the Arctic Circle before the ice-capped landscape disappears.
The mixed media artist published the remarkable images in a new book, The Arctic Melt: Images of a Disappearing Landscape, that’s set to be released April 20.
The book features an introduction by leading climate scientist Joe Romm, as it’s separated into six thematic episodes showing Tuft’s images.
“For the past 20 years, I have focused on capturing the environment’s visual effects on our landscape,” Ms Tuft told Architectural Digest. “Global warming has caused the Arctic to melt faster than any other area on earth, and I was compelled to photograph its landscape before it disappears.
“I hope that with visual documentation my work will demonstrate to the public that climate change is real, and that we need to encourage policies that address the issue of global warming before it is too late.”
The photos in the new book were captured during the summers of 2015 and 2016 that saw Ms Tuft travelling by plane, boat, and helicopter to the different regions. “While this was an amazing experience, it disturbed me to know that my trip through the Arctic Ocean was only possible because of the Arctic melt,” she said.
“For thousands of years, the sea ice during the Arctic winters through the month of June was always too thick for surface vessels to access the North Pole.
“But now, because of climate change, our vessel was the third earliest to ever reach the Pole and the only vessel to arrive during the summer solstice.”
Tuft hopes the images will increase the discussion on curbing carbon emissions in an effort to slow the effects of climate change. Her work is held in the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She has a degree in mathematics from the University of Connecticut and also studied art at Pratt Institute, New York.
Global warming has caused the Arctic to melt faster than any other area on earth... Diane Tuft Environmental photographer