The alliance and its global partner United Nations Human Rights name Photography 4 Humanity as a preferred partner and launch the 2022 Photography 4 Humanity Global Challenge. 

Winning images to be exhibited at United Nations Headquarters, and at the inaugural Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit in Boulder, CO held Dec. 1-4, 2022.

NEW YORK (May 3, 2022) - Photography 4 Humanity and the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance are calling upon photographers around the world to capture images that help convey the climate change crisis through a human rights lens and inspire people to take critical action.

As the new preferred platform of the Global Climate Alliance, Photography 4 Humanity is a leading international initiative galvanizing the talents of both professional and amateur photographers to help reframe climate change as the human rights crisis that leading scientists and human rights advocates, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, have declared it to be. 

The Photography 4 Humanity Global Challenge this year will serve as a call to action to bring to life the most compelling imagery that illustrates how the most vulnerable among us are affected by the escalating climate crisis. By showcasing their courage, despair, hope, and compassion, Photography 4 Humanity seeks to humanize the issue in order to engage people to act.

“Imagery that vividly demonstrates the very personal impact of climate change helps us all focus on how these things affect each other. Rising sea levels, increasingly intense weather events, floods, droughts, and other natural disasters unfold at scale, but ultimately devastate individual people,” said award-winning photographer David Rose, who serves as president of Photography 4 Humanity. “Using the power of photography to keep that front and center helps us all remain compassionate as we collectively address this existential crisis together.”

The Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize Recipient and top 10 finalists will first be revealed at the University of Colorado Boulder’s NEST (Nature, Environment, Science & Technology) Studio for the Arts on Dec. 1 to help celebrate the opening of the inaugural Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit.  The exhibit will then move to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Dec. 10—UN Human Rights Day. In addition, the winning images will be displayed globally online at UN.org.

“As co-host of the 2022 Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit with United Nations Human Rights, CU Boulder is proud to be exhibiting the Photography 4 Humanity winning images during the inaugural summit,” said CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano. “As the world's foremost human rights, scientific, political, educational, cultural and industry leaders assemble to address the adverse effects of climate change on human rights for the most vulnerable among us, these powerful images will be a stark reminder of who we are doing this important work for.”

Erin Espelie, co-director of NEST Studio for the Arts and associate professor of cinema studies and critical media practices at CU Boulder, said artists and scientists must work collaboratively in attending to the effects of climate change. 

“Creative vantages, in both the scientific and artistic disciplines, must shift in response to the ongoing ecological destruction,” Espelie said. “These powerful images allow for specificity, not more generalizations, of people, places and communities being unevenly impacted by the global crises. The NEST exhibition during this gathering of world leaders offers a place for contemplation.” 

For more information, visit: Photography4Humanity.com

ABOUT

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS

Global Partner of Photography 4 Humanity and the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) has a unique mandate to promote and protect all human rights for all people. Under the leadership of the High Commissioner, with a staff of 1,300 working in more than 70 countries, it aims to make human rights a reality in the lives of people everywhere. For more information, visit: ohchr.org.

PHOTOGRAPHY 4 HUMANITY

Photography 4 Humanity is an international initiative supported by global partner UN Human Rights that calls on photographers around the world to bring to life the power of human rights through their images. At the core of the Photography 4 Humanity initiative is a global call to action for amateur and professional photographers alike, to submit images for an annual competition where the Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize Recipient, and the top ten finalists are recognized each year through and art exhibit on December 10th – Human Rights Day at the United Nations HQ in NYC. For more information, visit: Photography4Humanity.com

RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW GLOBAL CLIMATE ALLIANCE

The Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance supported by global partner United Nations Human Rights is an international initiative created to take on climate change as the human rights crisis that leading scientists and human rights advocates declare it to be. Designed to be one of the largest public/private climate partnerships in the world, this global movement is committed to work with policy-makers, NGOs, foundations, businesses, academics, celebrities, artists, scientists, and all people to fight climate change and preserve our common future. For more info visit: righthererightnow.global

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

At the foot of the Rocky Mountains, CU Boulder is nationally recognized as one of only 35 AAU public research universities. Established in 1876, CU Boulder is a Tier 1 public research university with five Nobel laureates, nine MacArthur fellows and is the No. 1 public university recipient of NASA awards. CU Boulder is a leader in many fields, including aerospace engineering, earth and environmental science, physics and environmental and human rights law. The school partners with many notable federal research labs, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).  For more info visit: colorado.edu

DAVID CLARK CAUSE

Photography 4 Humanity creator David Clark Cause is a global leader in creating Cause Brands and purpose-driven initiatives that both inspire and endure. For more than two decades, founder David Clark has leveraged the iconic stature and cultural currency of world-renowned individuals and organizations to build successful Cause Brands that have raised millions of dollars and unprecedented awareness for some of the greatest causes of our time.  For more info visit: davidclarkcause.com