The Power of Perception: Art, Climate Change, and the History of U.S. Environmental Policy

More than 97% of climate scientists and every National Academy of Science in every major country around the globe say that climate change is real, happening now, and is human-caused. In the United States, however, the issue has been muddled by partisan politics and was ranked a lowly 18^th in the Pew Research Center’s poll on public policy priorities for 2018. For any meaningful action to take place at the government level, the issue has to rank in the top three.

One way to raise awareness of the problem is through the emotional power of art. Building on my previous interdisciplinary art-science projects, this presentation will focus on the history of US environmental policy and the role art played in building the political will behind several landmark events. From the Yosemite Land Grant of 1864 to the present, images have helped give the public, and the policy makers they elect, a new way to relate to and understand the issues of their time. In many cases, images mobilized public concern that helped drive legislation. The publication of photos of the Cuyahoga River fire of 1969 in Time Magazine, for example, helped spur the passage of the Clean Water Act and the creation of the EPA in the 1970s.

Today, climate change is our most pressing environmental concern. However, given its various impacts, a single image will not likely resonate with all people. Furthermore, the way we see and relate to images has changed with technology. Social media saturates us with photos on a daily basis and the moving image - films and videos - have become the dominant form of visual social commentary. Given their longer length, story arcs, and ability to reach people from all levels of the socio-economic spectrum, this art form has the potential to move the needle on climate action. As such, this presentation will also highlight the results of a poll that show which genre of climate change films resonate most with the general public.