Helena Christensen shows what is at stake in photographic climate change exhibition for Oxfam

November 19th, 2009

An exhibition of photographs taken by Helena Christensen documenting the threats of climate change on people living in Peru opened in London today.
The photographs are a selection taken by Helena while travelling to her mother’s native country with Oxfam earlier this year. During the trip she saw people suffering from food and water scarcity in the face of rising temperatures, changing seasons and melting glaciers.
The exhibition, Meltdown, is at Proud Gallery, Charing Cross, from 19-29 November. It is timed just two weeks before The Wave demonstration, on 5 December in London and Glasgow. Thousands of people wearing blue will be calling for Gordon Brown to push for a fair and safe climate deal at the UN climate negotiations starting two days later.
Helena said: “For so many of us, climate change is a distant idea belonging in the future but for millions of people in developing countries, it is a devastating reality.
“We can begin to change this by demanding that world leaders meeting in Copenhagen move towards cutting emissions and providing funding so that poor communities can protect themselves from climate change. By coming together at The Wave thousands of voices can be one loud clamour for urgent action at Copenhagen for the sake of generations to come.”
The photographs premiered at the United Nations in New York when the UN General Assembly met in September and are on a global tour heading to Copenhagen for the UN climate negotiations next month.
Helena added: “The power lies in the hands of world leaders, and I realise that the drastic steps they must take in order to lower the carbon dioxide emissions won’t be an easy task. But it needs to be done – there is really no way around it anymore.
“I am looking forward with baited breath to the conference in Copenhagen. We, as a people, want to see some dramatic changes. A suitable Danish saying goes along the lines of, ‘every tiny stream put together creates one big river’. We all know that it will take time and cost a hell of a lot of money to change the world’s priorities but we know it’s possible.”
Oxfam Chief Executive Barbara Stocking said: “Helena’s photographs show how climate change is already taking hold in Peru, as is the case in poor countries around the world. But it is not too late. I hope this exhibition will encourage people to take part in The Wave and demand nothing less than a climate deal that will protect us all from climate change.”
source: journalism.co.uk