This issue of Aperture considers the natural world in the age of climate change, extreme weather, and dramatically politicized landscapes. Earth focuses on our relationship with the natural world, during a moment of continued debate about global warming and extreme weather, and as the vulnerability of our natural environment is underscored each day. As we enter the anthropocene, the term used by scientists to describe an age when human activity has the greatest impact on the earth, what is the role of the artist and culture in addressing this crisis? How do photographers honor and draw inspiration from the natural world? How do aesthetics shape our understanding of ecological concerns?
This issue features contributions by writers and photographers including Charlotte Cotton, T.J. Demos, Carolyn Drake, William Finnegan, Bill McKibben, Gideon Mendel, Aveek Sen, David Benjamin Sherry, Lieko Shiga, Thomas Struth, Bruno V. Roels, and Vasantha Yogananthan.