Expert Talk: Images, Media & Climate Action

​Expert Talk by Fred Ritchin, Author, Curator & Dean Emeritus of the International Center of Photography School

​What role can images play in addressing one of the most urgent challenges of our time—climate change? How can media overcome numbness, restore trust, and offer new possibilities for collective action?  

​In this talk, Fred Ritchin—author, curator, and former Dean of the International Center of Photography—will explore the power of media and photography to confront the climate crisis and imagine more hopeful futures. Drawing from decades of work with organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, The New York Times, Magnum Photo Agency, and more, Ritchin will share strategies for creating media that resonates, inspires, and has lasting impact.

​Through case studies ranging from Sebastião Salgado’s campaigns on polio and child health to the Extreme Ice Survey documenting vanishing glaciers, Ritchin will discuss what has been effective—and what has not—in using images to galvanize change. He will highlight how new approaches, from AI-generated “testimonies of the future” to intergenerational projects where children interview their grandparents about the climate of their youth, can expand the ways we engage audiences.

​The 45-minute talk will be followed by a discussion, inviting nonprofit leaders, scientists, media professionals, students, and professors interested in participating. Together, we will explore how to create imagery that not only warns of what’s at stake but also illuminates pathways forward.