Can art help change the conversation on climate change?

Detailed summary

Tackling climate change could hardly be more urgent. Yet, for many people, the issue can still feel remote from their daily lives – or so huge and complex that change seems…

Yet, for many people, the issue can still feel remote from their daily lives – or so huge and complex that change seems impossible.

As world leaders and delegates gather for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) this month, an international art programme is inviting them to see the climate crisis from a different perspective.

COPArt, supported by Turkcell, Türkiye’s leading communications and technology company, brings together art, sustainability and climate awareness on an international platform, as artists from around the world share their experiences of environmental change, as well as their hopes for the future.

It explores whether creativity can make the climate crisis feel closer to home – and show that meaningful change is still possible.

Scientists can measure the real-world impacts of climate change, from rising temperatures and retreating glaciers to disappearing forests and biodiversity loss.

But COPArt looks at another part of the conversation: how to turn what people know about the climate crisis into something they can feel and respond to.

Directed and curated by Nagihan Ozel, the initiative sees artists examine topics ranging from climate change and biodiversity to environmental justice and sustainability.

It is running at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20, with artworks scattered around the conference site instead of being confined to a single exhibition space.

The exhibition is called Hâlâ Mümkün – or ‘Still Possible’ in English – reflecting its ambition to highlight the damage caused by the climate crisis while insisting that the future is not yet decided.

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