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(L): Copacabana Beach is seen from the top floor of a hotel in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, February 14, 2023. (R): Hotel guests relax on the pool floor of a hotel along Copacabana Beach in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, February 14, 2023. Many of Copacabana’s luxury hotels are located directly on Rio de Janeiro’s most famous beaches. The effects of rising seas will be felt far and wide in the world. In worst-case predictions, average sea level could rise by nearly 1.1 metres this century. Even a fraction of this would be catastrophic. Photo: Sarah Palmer
Sarah Palmer Photo: Supplied
As global warming continues, many parts of the world including natural wonders and island countries are at risk of damage or disappearing. This has led to a trend of ‘last chance tourism’ where travellers visit areas threatened by climate change - before it’s too late. Ironically, the more tourists visit these areas, the more widespread the climate crisis becomes, which again fuels ‘last chance tourism’.
Toronto-based photographer Sarah Palmer is bringing her exhibition Wish You Were Here to New Zealand as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography. Palmer’s photographs are taken with a Holga film camera and she creates multiple exposures and builds layers of images to tell the story of vacation culture against the backdrop of climate change.
Caribbean, December 2018. Guests lounge and walk around the sundecks on a sailing day during a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise. The fastest-growing sector in the travel industry, cruises have long been criticised for their impact on the environment and coastal communities that are suffering from sea-level rise. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that a 3000 passenger cruise ship can, in just one week, produce almost 800,000 litres of sewage, almost 4000 million litres of grey water, 95,000 litres of oily bilge water, 8 tons of solid waste, and 568 litres of hazardous waste. Photo: Sarah Palmer
The work has spanned four continents over 10 years and the images are colourful and bright, creating a dreamlike, nostalgic feeling. Photographs show happy tourists on cruise ships, seeing fading coral reefs and melting glaciers. The juxtaposed records highlight the absurdity of hedonistic travelling practices against a dark reality.
A catamaran tour boat takes guests to 12 beaches over the course of 3 hours in Búzios, Brazil, February 17, 2023. In 2023, temperatures soared above 40 C (104 Fahrenheit) across large parts of Brazil, lingering into the Southern Hemisphere's spring. A study by science-based World Weather Attribution predicts the event to be 100 x more likely with the increase effects of climate crisis. Photo: Sarah Palmer
2023 was the hottest year on record and ecosystems and humans continue to struggle to keep temperatures below the 1.5 degree threshold set out in the Paris Agreement. Palmer says her work is to connect people with scientific realities that are often too overwhelming to take in. While humans have an innate desire for connection to nature and living things, Palmer is urging viewers to consider their own contributions to the demise of the very thing they’re seeking out.
Glacier Bay, Alaska, June, 2022. (L): A glacier in Glacier Bay, Alaska. (C): An emergency phone on the deck of a cruise ship parked at the glacier. (R): A cruise passenger stands on the balcony of their cabin on a cruise ship. The summer cruising season is typically 4 months long, but is now getting stretched to 7 months, with the combination of global warming and larger ships being able to navigate through The Last Frontier Photo: Sarah Palmer
Sarah Palmer spoke to Culture 101’s Perlina Lau.