Shao Hsuan Wu
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Omolade Adunbi
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Department of Afroamerican and African Studies / LSA
Program: UROPF
Session: Session 5 (2:40pm – 3:30pm)
Authors: Omolade Adunbi, Shao Hsuan Wu
Abstract
Most of the existing research on energy practices and climate politics oftentimes does not take into consideration the location of photography in analyzing environmental degradation. This paper investigates the ways in which a proper understanding of images can be incorporated into the analysis of climate politics. Using the ethnography of photography as a lens to understand climate politics, this paper serves as a point of departure for the important ways that photographs can tell critical stories of how people live during the climate crisis. The research examines over 2,000 photographs taken in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria over a period of twenty years as a way to understand environmental degradation. An example of a question answered in the project is how photographs can tell stories that may not have been intended when the pictures were taken. While the project is still in progress, the predicted outcome of examining the photographs is that climate politics would be better deciphered if more attention were paid to images that showcase the lived experiences of members of oil-bearing communities. This project will create awareness about conditions of living, inspire more research on the subject, and serve as a basis for crafting policy prescriptions that could help mitigate the climate crisis.
