Climate Revealed

“Climate Revealed” by Fabio Chan is an exploration of some of the most important climate research facilities across the world, where scientists are working on pressing issues around climate change. His research has brought him to places as diverse as Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, NY photographing scientists working on sediment, tree and ice cores; the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology/NASA, Pasadena, CA where he documented NASA scientists and engineers building the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover; and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Abisko, Sweden, where he met a team of scientists focusing on understanding the contribution of the fluxes of N2O and methane from the sub-arctic permafrost to global warming. 

According to the United Nations, climate change is the defining crisis of our time. Since the early 1800s, humans have been the main cause of climate change through burning fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and causing the earth’s temperature to rise.

The 2023 Sixth Assessment report [1]  by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states the earth’s temperature has become 1.1°C (2°F) warmer since the late 1800s and is predicted to reach or exceed 1.5°C (2.7°F) over the next twenty years. 

The same report, collecting the work of thousand scientists, states that if we don’t limit global warming, we will experience a significant rise in sea levels, an increase of severe heat waves and flooding, degradation of coral reefs, and the loss of a significant portion of plant and animal habitats.

The impacts of climate change are far reaching, including lack of clean drinking water and degradation of the soil leading to food insecurity and disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. 90% of world disasters are now classified as climate related, which places an enormous financial burden on the global economy and leads to millions of people living in poverty. Conflict can also arise over the lack of resources in various contexts, causing violence and mass displacement.

Effectively addressing climate change by reducing our climate footprint will require a collective effort from all sectors of society.

“Climate Revealed” is a journey through time and across the earth that gives us hope in the power of human intelligence and a deep sense of humility for nature.

[1] IPCC, 2023: Sections. In: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 35-115, doi: 10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647

Fabio Cian

Fabio Cian is a documentary photographer based in Venice, Italy. His photographic research lies at the intersection of the human and natural worlds, analyzing global phenomena driven by anthropogenic forces. His work is currently focused on climate science and climate change-related matters. In particular, he is interested in the scientific activities and practices that lie behind the study of earth’s climate. He is also interested in the impacts of climate change related disasters, such as floods, typhoons, and droughts, on the environment and the people that inhabit it.

His working method is rooted in scientific research. He obtained a certificate of Visual Storytelling from the International Center of Photography, New York. He was selected for the Eddie Adams Workshop XXXVI, Jeffersonville, NY. He holds a master’s degree in Space Engineering and a PhD in Science and Management of Climate Change.

Fabio is a scientist carrying out research on climate change, natural disaster management and financing. He has published several research papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

He has exhibited his work at Visa pour l’image, Perpignan, France; Grün-Berlin, Gärten der Welt, Berlin, Germany; Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy; Museum of Science and Technology of Milan, Italy; and Joint Research Center, European Commission, Ispra, Italy.

He is a recipient of the Outreach scholarship, Rachel Carson Center, Lüdwig Maximilian University, Munich; and a winner of the “Climate Chance: The grand challenge”, a climate change communication contest organized by the Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, Italy.