A major photographic exhibition in Dublin graphically illustrating how global climate change is having an impact on people's lives was opened yesterday by Minister for the Environment Dick Roche.
Entitled "NorthSouthEastWest", the exhibition features work by some of the world's leading photographers and was developed by the British Council as part of its Zero Carbon City initiative.
Mr Roche described it as "a stimulating photographic record of how our world is changing around us" and said it would make an important contribution to communi-
cating the message of climate change.
The photographs document the physical and natural environments as well as development issues, human rights, economics, technology and innovation, health, food, urban life and civic leadership.
Each theme tells its own story about how people have adapted to changes in their environments, as documented by Paul Brown, former environment correspondent of the Guardian newspaper.
Although most of the effects of global warming will be felt in the developing world, Mr Roche cautioned against complacency in Ireland, saying that we had also witnessed extreme weather events.
"Increased temperatures will always sound particularly appealing on a cold winter day, but I think we should be clear that the impacts are expected to be somewhat more diverse and more challenging," he said.
With another UN climate change summit due to start in Montreal next week, the Minister said it was clear that a global response was needed to deal with the "potentially devastating consequences".
The exhibition is being held as part of a week-long programme of events.