Climate & Migrant Justice Collection
Fine Acts teamed up with Unbound Philanthropy, an independent private grantmaking foundation seeking to contribute to a vibrant, welcoming society and an immigration system rooted in justice – to create a collection of powerful visual artworks on the topic of Climate & Migrant Justice.
We commissioned 20 outstanding global artists with migration experience to produce illustrations that envision a just and vibrant society where migration is embraced as an adaptation to climate change; where we can all flourish, uphold human dignity, value diversity, and honor our common humanity.
We also launched an open call for existing illustrations that depict climate migration as a choice for individuals and an opportunity for societies, and focus on a hopeful vision for our collective future. We received 200+ brilliant submissions from around the world, and selected 20 finalists.
All works are now published under an open license on TheGreats.co, our unique platform for free social impact art, so that anyone – including educators, activists and nonprofits globally – can use and adapt them to amplify their work.
Illustration by Mark Wang for OBI x Fine Acts
Climate change is not only an environmental conservation issue, but also an issue of justice and human rights.
Our goal is to build a unique collection of visuals to accompany stories & narratives around communities harnessing migration as a positive tool for resilience.
Climate change is not only an issue of environmental conservation, but also an issue of justice and human rights. Climate change does not affect all people equally – people who already face the greatest burdens are often the ones affected most by it.
While minimizing global warming is critical to limiting the harm of climate change, humanity must simultaneously learn to adapt. Migration is one adaptation to climate change. As more places become unlivable, dislocations and relocations will become much more common and necessary. While climate change impacts everyone, climate-related displacement does not affect all populations equally: people who are displaced by climate disasters often face other structural challenges as well, such as economic marginalization, and/or racial or ethnic discrimination.
Unbound Philanthropy’s long-term vision for climate and migrant justice is to make climate-related migration a choice, rather than an option of last resort. It is essential to support adaptation in place and the freedom of people to stay in their homes, where it is possible and they choose to do so. It is however also key to establish safe, regular, and equitable migration pathways that can bring great opportunities not just to migrants but also to the places they go to, as well as their place of origin. And it is crucial to strengthen belonging – building welcoming communities where all people can fully participate in social, civic, and economic life.
Migration has always been part of human existence. Racism, bigotry, and “othering” have also been present throughout. Today, some people seek to divide our societies, and to exploit people’s anxieties and suffering. Simultaneously, there is an unprecedented coalescing around a “larger us”, and a yearning and propensity for universal compassion, caring, and connection.
When communities proactively plan to make room for their new neighbors, it enables everyone in these communities to thrive. By equipping communities to harness migration as a positive tool for resilience, we make possible a vision for a just and vibrant society where we can all flourish.
