The Visual Life of Climate Change / Saffron O'Neill

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Front Cover -- The Visual Life of Climate Change -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- List of Figures -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction: 'Just Tell Me, What's the Best Climate Image?' -- Framing for understanding visual climate communication -- Climate change has an image problem -- About this book -- 2 Adaptation: Heatwaves and Sea Level Rise -- Heatwaves -- 'Fun in the sun' and 'the idea of heat' -- Heatwave visuals marginalise vulnerable people -- Beyond 'fun in the sun' for heatwave visuals -- Sea level rise -- Aerial imagery of coral atolls -- Young girl in floodwater -- Sea level rise imagery removes agency of island dwellers -- Pacific islanders' challenge dominant visual narratives -- Where to next, for climate adaptation images? -- 3 Impacts: Polar Bears and Flooding -- The polar bear -- Polar bears are polar bears -- Polar bears mean politics -- Polar bears mean climate change -- Flooding -- Flooding means suffering -- Flooding means 'getting on with it' -- Implicit visual cues -- Where to next, for climate impact images? -- 4 Energy: Smokestacks and Wind Turbines -- Smokestacks -- Wind turbines -- Putting people in the (energy) picture -- Where to next, for climate and energy imagery? -- 5 Science: Climate Stripes and Weather Maps -- Burning Embers -- Climate Spirals and Stripes -- Weather maps -- Where to next, for climate science visuals? -- 6 People: Politicians and Protesters -- Political figures -- Protesters -- Mass protest -- Opinion shapers online -- Where are the everyday people? -- 7 Conclusion: The Flow and Friction of Climate Images -- Climate visuals move through a complex, global media ecosystem -- Organisations, groups, individuals -- News organisations -- Image agencies -- The images in people's minds -- Information architecture -- Managing, sorting, searching -- Culture of the click.

Platform and format -- The colour of climate -- A critical approach to climate visual communication -- Climate visuals and the growth of generative-​AI -- Towards a more inclusive and responsible climate visual discourse -- References -- Index.

Images can play a key role in communication – but climate change imagery can be formulaic and narrow in perspective. Going beyond polar bears and wildfires, this book is a manifesto for opening up the visual discourse on climate. Rather than portraying scenarios that can be remote from many people’s lives, Saffron O’Neill shows how images can be powerful tools to engage viewers and enable them to connect different issues together. With engaging case studies and practical advice throughout, the book shows how visuals can represent climate change in more diverse, equitable, inclusive and responsible ways.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2026. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.