An Anthology of Changing Climate

“An Anthology of Changing Climate“ is a journey through a German society divided on climate issues, addressing the struggle for guiding narratives and the question of whether it is possible to find sustainable answers to the climate crisis in a consumer-driven society. My photo-essay portrays a society that stands at a social and ecological crossroad and thereby tells stories from a nation whose prosperity is rooted in the combustion of fossil fuels, on the intricate transition toward climate neutrality.

On a global scale, Germany‘s intentions are ambitious. The country aims to become a climate-neutral industrial nation by 2045. This places Germany among the international pioneers in the fight against the climate crisis. The path to climate neutrality is the „greatest modernisation and prosperity safeguarding project since World War II“, according to Dirk Messner, the President of the German Environment Agency. The phase-out of coal by 2038, seven to ten million electric cars on the roads by 2030 and a massive expansion of renewable energies were enshrined in law.

However, the status quo is as complex as it is paradoxical. While activist groups continue to push the boundaries of climate protest, the expansion of renewable energies is faltering. Despite surveys indicating broad social support for climate protection, public backing is clearly waning when it comes to practical measures. Recently, dependence on Russian gas, the resulting energy crisis, and Inflation exacerbated the social climate. As a result the poll ratings of the right-wing and in part anti-democratic AfD party are rising.

“An Anthology of Changing Climate“ is a journey through a German society divided on climate issues, addressing the struggle for guiding narratives and the question of whether it is possible to find sustainable answers to the climate crisis in a consumer-driven society. My photo-essay portrays a society that stands at a social and ecological crossroad and thereby tells stories from a nation whose prosperity is rooted in the combustion of fossil fuels, on the intricate transition toward climate neutrality.

The starting point of my project was my coverage of the eviction of the activist-occupied village of Lützerath in favor of coal mining by the energy company RWE in January 2023. I took two photos there that, through their symbolic nature, could tell the story beyond the eviction, portraying the struggle of narratives within the climate debate. That was when I decided to create a large-scale document that like in a mosaic would bring together various aspects of my research into a larger societal perspective.

I would like to continue working intensively on this project. My ongoing research already includes more than 25 possible stories and aspects that I would like to photograph over the course of the next year. I am currently looking at the status quo of the tourism industry, food production, the construction sector, transportation, and science and innovation aimed at reducing the carbon footprint.

I develop my visual ideas through intensive research. Through a deep engagement with my subjects and the resulting reflections, I seek out places, stories, and events that can visualize and condense them. In the narration of my photographic essays, the story unfolds in the sequence of images between individual photographs. They thrive on a great diversity of aspects and scenes that come to form a complex description of societies.

This way of researching and visually narrating is very familiar to me. It is quite similar to the strategy of my project "About the Days ahead" - a year-long, 25,000 kilometere journey through Germany in times of global crisis, the Corona pandemic. The project reflected on a changing society through isolation and the coping mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Without financial and ideational support, such an ambitious project is not possible. The fund would help me pay for materials, travel and accommodation.