Victors of the 2025 Earth Photo Awards Emphasize the Effects of Climate Change
**Remains of the Ice Creature: Capturing the Cataclysmic Aesthetic of Climate Change**
In a realm where photography merges artistry with environmental advocacy, the Earth Photo Awards exemplify the potency of visual narrative. For eight uninterrupted years, these accolades have illuminated the intricate ways climate change impacts our planet. Each photograph conveys a distinct story that not only showcases the planet’s unrefined allure but also underscores its fragility. This year’s outstanding contributors include two pieces that deeply connect with audiences: Liam Man’s “Remains of the Ice Creature” and Lorenzo Poli’s “Autophagy,” both providing a startling yet impactful view of our evolving world.
Liam Man’s stirring initiative, “The Icebreaker Project,” which earned the Climate of Change Award during the Earth Photo Awards, highlighted a striking image of the Rhone Glacier. Wrapped in silver thermal blankets since 2009—a bold yet desperate effort to delay its inevitable decline—the glacier resembles a magnificent beast whose outer covering has been stripped away by the passage of time. Man’s decision to give the glacier human-like qualities emphasizes the delicacy of the cryosphere amidst the escalating climate emergency. His work urges observers to confront the grand yet diminishing splendor of these icy giants, sparking an urgent appeal to safeguard these natural marvels.
Conversely, Lorenzo Poli’s “Autophagy,” honored with the Earth Photo 2025 Award, presents a reflective commentary on the damaging cycle of extraction. Against the setting of the Chuquicamata mine in Chile, Poli’s black-and-white creation depicts the destructive effects of human demands on the Earth’s resources. This expansive and intimidating open-pit copper mine narrates the tale of a landscape devastated by years of relentless industrial exploitation. Poli’s depiction of an abandoned miners’ settlement and its neighboring graveyard, slowly consumed by the excavations, embodies a poignant tale of lives eclipsed by human greed and ecological harm.
The Earth Photo Awards, coordinated by Forestry England, the Royal Geographical Society, and Parker Harris, persist in enriching dialogues on climate change through captivating visuals that blend art with scientific conversation. Joe Smith, director of the Royal Geographical Society, stated, “Photography acts as a lens that captures not just the image, but the pressing narrative it conveys of a world in transition.”
While certain photographs invoke a disquieting urgency, others reflect human tenacity and adaptability. For example, Shane Hynan’s “Beneath | Beofhód” delves into the heritage of industrial peat extraction in Ireland, combining topographical representation with metaphorical exploration. Vivian Wan’s “Rotary Screw Traps,” another remarkable submission, narrates the lasting cultural connections of the Yurok Tribe in California with the Klamath Basin, highlighting the fragile equilibrium between tradition and conservation.
From a pool of over 1,500 submissions, 40 photographers were selected as finalists this year, presenting images that range from human resilience to nature’s relentless splendor. The Earth Photo exhibition is presently showcased at the Royal Geographical Society in London, inviting visitors to engage with these visuals and, ideally, departing with an invigorated resolve to tackle the urgent environmental issues ahead.
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