Between Hope and Dystopia (2020–ongoing)
Temperatures in Germany have risen significantly more than the global average. Change is evident across the country—both in the landscape and in society.
But how can images capture a slow, creeping transformation? How can the climate crisis be visually represented beyond the usual clichés?
This photo essay on the climate crisis in Germany does not seek sensational images but rather quiet testimonies of a country gradually changing amid the crisis. Germany faces a serious challenge: as an industrial and automobile powerhouse, it must become climate-neutral by 2045. That leaves only 20 years—a race against time. Economic interests, political ideologies, and possible solutions have become increasingly heated topics of debate in Germany in the 2020s. The social climate is shifting, climate activists are mobilizing, and scientists are searching for new solutions. Yet coal mining continues, the expansion of wind power remains too slow, and discussions persist about how much longer gasoline-powered cars should be sold.
This photo essay depicts a photographic journey through Germany, focusing on a country in transition. What new and hopeful approaches exist to slow down the climate crisis? How is Germany’s landscape changing? And what does this mean for people's daily lives? The essay aims to give viewers a sense of a nation in crisis—a quiet and restrained testimony of transformation, balancing between hope and dystopia.
Supported by True Picture Award