Latest news with #CristinaMittermeier
Globe and Mail
07-07-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Globe Climate: Another tick-infested summer
If you're reading this on the web or someone forwarded this e-mail newsletter to you, you can sign up for Globe Climate and all Globe newsletters here. Good afternoon, and welcome to Globe Climate, a newsletter about climate change, environment and resources in Canada. Award-winning photographers Shane Gross and Cristina Mittermeier are using their images to aid global marine and freshwater ecosystem conservation efforts, and to bring public attention to the importance of our oceans. Gross and Mittermeier joined journalists Jenn Thornhill Verma and Ryan MacDonald in a pair of conversations at a Globe and Mail event in Toronto in partnership with Rolex. Catch on up their discussion about the power of photography to spur change, responses to some of the best-known images, and current areas of focus. Now, let's catch you up on other news. For this week's deeper dive, Nova Scotians watch their backs – and each other's. Health science reporter Jennifer Yang writes that as temperatures warm, tick populations, and their diseases, do as well. With each year that passes, Canadian seasons are getting warmer, for longer, and ticks are expanding their range. And as tick populations have taken off, so, too, have the diseases they can spread through their bites. Nova Scotia's South Shore has become home to some of the country's densest populations of blacklegged ticks – a vector for the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. 'People who haven't even seen ticks before are seeing them, and seeing many,' says Donna Lugar, founder of the Nova Scotia Lyme Disease Support Group, which she formed in 2013. 'I've never heard such horror stories as I've heard this year.' And climate change is making this a reality for more and more people. 'Canada's heating probably faster than anywhere else in the world, and the ticks are moving into those places as they warm,' says Nick Ogden, director of the modelling hub division with the Public Health Agency of Canada, who has studied ticks and Lyme disease since the 1990s. 'The range expansion of the tick has happened faster than the modelling we did a decade ago. Because it's actually warming faster than the climate models were telling us back then.' Communities like Lunenburg County in Nova Scotia offer a glimpse of what lies ahead for many other swaths of the country, where temperatures are rising and the ticks are inching in. Meanwhile, nationally reported cases of Lyme disease have climbed from 522 in 2014 to a preliminary count of 5,239 last year. Until a vaccine is a possibility, Canadians are finding other ways to fight back. Pesticides are being developed and could help, if it too can adapt to warming temperatures. Cathal Kelly: Under blistering summer temperatures, sports power through Peter Kuitenbrouwer: With classroom temperatures soaring, schoolyards need more trees Steve Flamand: Ottawa, bring back Canada's EV incentive program Clayton Thomas-Müller: Wab Kinew's development dreams threaten our people's way of life Trump's green-bashing is precisely why it's a good time to buy green When you live so close to Washington it can feel like it sets the world's agenda, but on the energy transition, it doesn't, writes John Rapley. He says that while Trump rambles on anti-renewables, the energy transition proceeds. Plus, the reduction in the price of assets and products (because of Trump) creates a golden opportunity for both investors and consumers. We've launched the next chapter of The Climate Exchange, an interactive, digital hub where The Globe answers your most pressing questions about climate change. More than 300 questions were submitted as of September. The first batch of answers tackles 30 of them. They can be found with the help of a search tool developed by The Globe that makes use of artificial intelligence to match readers' questions with the closest answer drafted. We plan to answer a total of 75 questions. We want to hear from you. Email us: GlobeClimate@ Do you know someone who needs this newsletter? Send them to our Newsletters page.
Globe and Mail
04-07-2025
- Science
- Globe and Mail
Photography brings threats to oceans into focus
The world's oceans are critical to human life, and they are under threat from the effects of climate change. Award-winning photographers Shane Gross and Cristina Mittermeier are using their images to aid global marine and freshwater ecosystem conservation efforts, and to bring public attention to the importance of our oceans. Gross, a co-founder of the Canadian Conservation Photographers Collective, and Mittermeier, who is also a trained marine biologist, joined journalists Jenn Thornhill Verma and Ryan MacDonald in a pair of conversations at a Globe and Mail event in Toronto on June 24, in partnership with Rolex. They discussed the power of photography to spur change, responses to some of the best-known images, and current areas of focus. Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity. Jenn Thornhill Verma: You've experienced the ocean from so many different places. What commonalities do you see from behind the camera? Shane Gross: The creatures and the currents don't care about our borders. One example is humpback whales: they'll migrate from Antarctica to French Polynesia. We need to do what we can to make sure that we are protecting not just what's in our waters but beyond that. A big topic of discussion today is the global oceans treaty. Beyond countries' (boundaries) there is still a lot of ocean, and right now it's completely lawless. The global ocean treaty is a United Nations event that hopefully will put some rules in place for that because we desperately need it. JTV: Your seahorse photo is a prime example of how bringing people to an environment they otherwise would not have the opportunity to experience can lend itself to pushing a policy envelope. Talk to us about that image. SG: The place in the photo is Seahorse National Park in the Bahamas. When I first started snorkelling there, we didn't even know what species of seahorses were there. I met with a scientist, Dr. Heather Masonjones, in 2016, and she went and counted how many seahorses were in there. In this pond that's a kilometre-and-a-half by a kilometre, she counted 800,000 seahorses. At the time there was a proposal to turn it into a marina, and also people taking seahorses to sell for the aquarium trade. We teamed up with conservation organizations to get this place protected. We gave talks at schools and used my photo to show the kids, we held community meetings, went to the government and met with the prime minister. It took almost 10 years but it is now fully protected. It's an example that it takes time and it's hard work, but change can happen and photography can be a big tool in that. JTV: How do you choose between sharing stunning images of the natural environment and these painful truths of what we're doing to the environment? SG: A friend of mine did a study for her PhD: she set up a photo gallery using some of my images that showed beautiful pictures with a donation box, then a gallery with hard-to-look-at reality images and a donation box. Then she did a third one that showed both, and a donation box. The first two received about the same amount of donations. It was the third one, showing the balance of the two, that got the most amount of donations. We need and we deserve to see both sides. But we also need to help people to fall in love with the ocean and care about it, and you're going to do that by showing mostly the beauty, in my opinion. JTV: How do you get to know the creatures you photograph, and how does getting to know them influence your work? SG: For me as a kid I know when I would go to the school library and take out a book, there were certain pages I would stop on: 'Wow, look at this fish called the royal grandma. It's half purple and half yellow, isn't that amazing?' I know that could happen for somebody else, and inspire them. It's about finding out what it is about the species or habitat you can show in as cool of a light as possible. Ryan MacDonald: Are there specific issues you want to bring to the forefront in this day and age? Cristina Mittermeier: Canada is a magnificent country. We can choose to coast and feel lucky that we have these resources, or we can be leaders. When I think of the high seas treaty and the countries that have yet to sign it, people are no longer looking at the United States for leadership, but they're going to be looking at us. So much of that hinges on public support. The work that I do is galvanizing public attention, maybe showing you something that you hadn't thought about before and the next time you read about it you'll know it's important. RM: Your photo of kelp speaks to relatability, and it also speaks to conservation. Can you tell us why something like kelp matters as much as all the other images of these beautiful creatures? CM: The ocean is the ecosystem that allows life to exist on planet Earth; it produces half of the oxygen we breathe. Biomes like kelp, like sea grass, are part of this machinery that's absorbing carbon dioxide. The ocean has absorbed 90 per cent of the excess heat on the planet, and now you can see it's no longer able to cope. We were in Indonesia six months ago and the water was 32.5 degrees — just uncomfortable for a human. Imagine what it's like for fish. As a result, we're seeing ecosystems degrade. We need to keep the ocean alive. RM: Tell us about your foundation, how does that figure into your work? CM: SeaLegacy was born when my husband (Paul) and I were shooting an assignment for National Geographic on the Pacific blob (mass of warm water) in 2017, and the temperature of the water from California to Alaska was four to seven degrees warmer than it's supposed to be. The fish sunk to deeper, cooler water, so animals like sea lions were starving. There was also an overabundance of some algae. When it gets too warm they over-bloom and produce toxic substances; when animals eat it, they experience full-body paralysis. It was a horrific thing to photograph, just thousands of dead animals. Paul said to me, 'we have to do more.' We decided to leave National Geographic and start a non-profit. The idea was to take our images and ability to communicate and shine light on the beautiful solutions happening and also on the horrors, to give hope and be a reminder. RM: We're in a fight for truth around the world, so I want to talk a bit about what you're doing to fight against artificial intelligence in image making. CM: It's such a threat to the work of any creative, and the saddest part of it is that we didn't know. When you start uploading your photos to (social media), the tiny little print said they could use all that data to train their robots. The first defence we have is our reputation, truthfulness and credibility. But the second one is I'm part of a coalition of photographers that started an app that opts images out of AI training. We're trying to turn the tap off.
Globe and Mail
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Through the Ocean's Eye: A Tribute in Focus
On Tuesday, June 24th, The Globe and Mail, in partnership with Rolex, presented Lens on The Water—a celebration of our planet's oceans—at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. The event gathered ocean advocates, photography aficionados, and sustainability leaders for an immersive evening that spotlighted the beauty, power, complexity, and urgency of ocean conservation. World-renowned conservation photographers Shane Gross and Cristina Mittermeier shared the stories behind their most powerful underwater imagery, revealing both the wonder and vulnerability of marine life. Guiding the conversation were Jenn Thornhill Verma, Reporter and Pulitzer Fellow for the Ocean Reporting Network, and Ryan MacDonald, Senior Editor of Climate, Environment and Resources at The Globe and Mail, whose thoughtful moderation deepened the dialogue around ecological storytelling. Guests immersed themselves in a striking ocean photography exhibit while enjoying signature cocktails, elegant hors d'oeuvres, and sustainably source cuisine. Set against the venue's refined ambiance, the evening unfolded as a unique celebration where science, art, and culinary craft intertwined in honour of our oceans. Missed the live event or would like to view it again? Scroll down to the video below. The Globe and Mail presented the event in partnership with Rolex. To learn about upcoming Globe and Mail events visit Event summary produced by The Globe and Mail Events team. The Globe's editorial department was not involved.
South China Morning Post
18-06-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Acclaimed photographer Cristina Mittermeier's dynamic pictures inspire change
Devising innovative solutions to global environmental challenges requires the experience, knowledge and dedication of scientific pioneers, daring creatives and intrepid explorers around the world. Advertisement Rolex is committed to supporting these trailblazers' efforts to make a positive and lasting impact on the Earth. The Swiss watchmaker launched its Perpetual Planet Initiative in 2019 to help individuals and organisations that are working to protect the planet while promoting visionary technologies and discoveries that can restore a balance to its ecosystems. Cristina Mittermeier, a multi-award-winning Mexican conservation photographer, who uses her camera's lens to highlight how climate change is threatening the Earth's oceans and the people and wildlife living near them, is among the individuals supported by the brand. She is also one of the elite men and women selected by Rolex's new Reach for the Crown campaign for their dedication and excellence in sports, arts and exploration which motivates others to chase their dreams and make an impact on the world. Raising awareness to the threats to oceans with photography Advertisement Mittermeier's love of the seas and the plants and animals it supports began as a child growing up in the mountainous landlocked town of Cuernavaca in central Mexico.
Globe and Mail
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Regina man was aboard Air India flight that crashed, friend says
Globe Events Lens on the Water June 24 @ 5:30 P.M. ET | Toronto, ON | Join The Globe and renowned photographers Shane Gross and Cristina Mittermeier for an evening of ocean photography, conversation and fine cuisine.
