Turning newspapers into climate-change art

Covering Climate Now kicked off its week of expanded coverage with an art exhibit in New York that sought to bring the climate story to the front page of the world’s newspapers. The exhibit, called “Flooding the News,” was held at the Foley Gallery in Manhattan and featured 40 front pages, all of them treated by artists to reflect the biggest climate threats in the communities they cover. Some of the papers appeared to be charred, reflecting the spread of wildfires; some were warped by water, reflecting rising sea levels; a few were parched, intended to show the effects of drought. Plaques summarizing the climate effects of each locale were provided by the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

The exhibit, attended by journalists and climate activists, marked the launch of Covering Climate Now, a partnership of CJR and The Nation aimed at raising the level of climate reporting by media organizations. More than 250 news organizations from around the world have signed on, representing an audience of more than a billion people. The Guardian is the lead media partner of Covering Climate Now. “Flooding the News” was produced in partnership with TBWA/Chiat/Day in New York.