Super Floods in Paris Inspire Activation Against Global Warming

Feb. 04, 2018

The Seine is still rising, and all eyes are on the Zouave statue on the pont de l’Alma, the emblematic yardstick Parisians use to gage the river’s swell…

But the spectacular surge of the Seine should serve as a reminder: climate change persists, and it’s going to continue to generate increasingly severe floods over the coming years.

The consequences of climate change are felt by millions every day, in France and across the world. Each year, 26 million people are displaced because of natural catastrophes.

That’s why Yann Arthus-Bertrand, the photographer and activist behind a number of environmental documentaries like Planet Ocean and Home, together with his foundation, GoodPlanet, decided to organize an operation to galvanize public awareness for climate change.

Recognizing that all attention was focused on the iconic Zouave statue, they outfitted it with a giant life vest, a symbolic gesture to help it survive the flooding.
The operation, which was conceived by communications agency Rosapark, was rounded out with a poster bearing an important message: GET READY FOR GLOBAL WARMING.

A metaphor for the struggle we are all facing, and a slogan to encourage countries, towns and, above all, citizens to act urgently and accelerate the reduction of CO2 emissions before COP21. We can’t wait any longer. Each of us has to do our part to reduce our carbon footprint.

It’s not just a Parisian problem, it’s a global problem. In all the cities across the world, we must wake up and do our part.

And that’s why the GoodPlanet Foundation is working every day to support projects for renewable energy, biodiversity conservation, agro-ecology, and sustainable waste management in over 20 countries.

That’s why it’s working with companies on a strategy to lower carbon emissions and promote sustainable agriculture.

And that’s why the GoodPlanet Foundation is working to raise awareness about environmental preservation, through educational and artistic projects and by welcoming visitors to the Domaine de Longchamp, a unique center devoted to ecology and humanity.

In an era when we are in danger of becoming desensitized to the dangers of global warming, Yann Arthus-Bertrand wanted to immortalize the Seine’s flooding with a powerful image that must be shared as much as possible: #ParisAgainstGlobalWarming.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand comments: 

“The reality of climate change and the urgency for action is a concern for all of us, without exception.”