Human Nature By Lucas Foglia

Rather a contemplation than a criticism, Human Nature narrates the interconnected stories of the people, places, and programs working towards tackling climate change. Holding cherished childhood memories of times spent on his family’s farm, it was the first-hand devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 that instigated the Human Nature series. When a news report linked the disaster to man-made climate “…if humans are changing the weather, then there is no place on Earth unaltered by people.”change, Foglia realized, “that if humans are changing the weather, then there is no place on Earth unaltered by people.” Soon after, Foglia began his photographic expedition, capturing the sites where man and nature dramatically intersect — lava boat tours in Hawaii, skyscraper gardens in Singapore and researchers measuring the velocity of a glacier in Alaska. In Human Nature, Foglia works with those who are attempting to understand the consequences of human activity on the natural world. “At a time when Americans, on average, spend 93 percent of their lives indoors, I photographed government programs that bring people back into contact with nature, neuroscientists researching the beneficial effects of spending time outside, and climate scientists measuring the degree to which human activity influences the atmosphere,” explains Foglia. The images are both compelling and concerning, prompting a call to action. Accordingly, a list of books on the beneficial effects of spending time in the wilderness is included at the back of the Human Nature photobook.