Images From a Warming Planet by Ashley Cooper

I have spent the last thirteen years traveling to every continent on the planet to document the impacts of climate change and in that time have probably witnessed more of its impacts than anyone else.

What I have seen is truly shocking. I passionately believe that climate change is the biggest threat that humanity has ever faced.

My book, Images From a Warming Planet, is a wakeup call to show how climate change is already impacting all around the world. This high quality art photographic book will include over 500 images, from every continent. The cloth bound hard back book will be blind de-bossed with full colour interior and dust jacket with a foreword by Jonathon Porritt.

Images From a Warming Planet by Ashley Cooper — A male Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) that starved to death as a consequence of climate change. This male Polar Bear was last tracked by the Norwegian Polar Institute in April 2013 in southern Svalbard. Polar bears need sea ice to hunt their main prey, seals. Western fjords of Svalbard which normally freeze in winter, remained ice free all season during the winter of 2012 / 13, one of the worst on record for sea ice around the island archipelago. This bear headed hundreds of miles north, looking for suitable sea ice to hunt on, finding no suitable sea ice, finally exhausted, it collapsed and died. The future for Polar Bear looks bleak in a climate changing world. Recent scientific studies show that Polar Bear are getting thinner and weighing less due primarily to less time to hunt in the winter and a longer fasting period in summer. Without sea ice, they will no doubt all starve to death.

Images from a Warming Planet is an art photographic book that comes from the heart. The photographic book documents the causes of climate change. How these changes are impacting peoples, landscapes and biodiversity around the planet.

Finally what we can do to mitigate the worst excesses of climate change and prevent it from happening. I truly believe that this book will play a real and significant role in alerting people to the dangers posed and motivate action.

154 20100211 IMG 5862 — Where has all the water gone. Lake Hume is the largest reservoir in Australia and was set up to provide irrigation water for farms further down the Murray Basin and drinking water for Adelaide. On the day this photograph was taken it was at 19.6% capacity. By the end of the summer of 2009 it dropped to 2.1 % capacity. Such impacts of the drought are likely to worsen as a result of climate change. The last time the water was anywhere near this road bridge was 10 years ago, rendering this no fishing sign, somewhat redundant.

Some of the images in the book are shocking, but I have always strived to create original, dramatic and stunning images, which collectively lends a high end art photographic feel to the book.

If the appeal exceeds its target, I will be able to extend the print run of the book from its current 3,000 run and reach a wider audience.

Risks and challenges

All the images for the book are ready to go. The initial art design work for the book has been completed. All that remains is for the designer to prepare all the artwork to print ready and then it can go straight off to the print house. To this extent, I see very little in the way of challenges, once the money has been raised.

432 20140926 B18A0072 — Part of the Tehachapi Pass wind farm, California, the first large scale wind farm area developed in the USA.

006 20130505 B18A0505 — Emissions from the Tata steel works in Ijmuiden, Netherlands. Steel production is extremely carbon intensive, using vast quantities of coal.

If you could support this campaign by donating I would be truly grateful, no sum is too small. In addition if you could spread the message to family and friends who may be interested and share on social media, that would be fantastic. To support please go to

www.kickstarter.com/projects/warmingplanet/images-from-a-warming-planet

The campaign runs for just 30 days until 30th June 2016. People’s pledged money will only be taken If the target of £50,000 is reached.

Thanks for considering supporting this. My hope is that this project may prevent more people suffering the future horrendous consequences of climate change.