Climate Heroes
#OurPlanetWeek2022
“All are living at the frontier of climate change and all are suffering as a consequence.”
Every year I try to participate in this illustration challenge (#OurPlanetWeek) that supports a movement for the planet, through art. They post prompts for a week, and the whole community is pulled together to draw their versions of conceptualised illustrations for that week. When I started thinking about the 5th prompt of #OurPlanetWeek2022 – #ClimateHeroes, only Sir David Frederick Attenborough came to mind. Looking for inspiration I ended up watching the 2nd episode of OurPlanet – Frozen Worlds, again. Somehow the term “Climate Heroes” didn’t sit well with me because there is no glory and heroism to this place we are at. There is only suffering and the fighting of that suffering. This illustration is composed of all the heartbreak I felt as I watched Frozen Worlds. For the first time before drawing, I felt inspired and deeply sad at the same time.
Our Planet Week illustration movement was founded by digital artist & illustrator Asia Orlando (@asiaorlando) in 2020, after a series of devastating events that took place during that year, among them, the fire in the Amazon’s and Australia’s bushfires. That’s how the idea of this illustration movement was born. The concept of the illustration movement is to use what we do best to create environmental awareness and start a movement that resonates each year. Their partnership with One Tree Planted, allows them to plant one tree for every illustration posted under #OurPlanetWeek.
