Down to Earth: 21st Century Climate Stories in Pictures

News item | 12-11-2025 | 07:34

The effects of climate change are being felt around the world. Extreme events, wildfires, and floods are becoming increasingly frequent, while the availability of fresh water and fertile soil is decreasing. The Down to Earth exhibition tells stories about the destruction and crises caused by climate change—but also about how humanity has been adapting to its consequences.

Jena Viera, Honorary Consul in Belém, and Jelle Floot from the Embassy of the Netherlands in Brasília.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands, in collaboration with the World Press Photo Foundation, presents Down to Earth, an exhibition that translates climate change and the future of the planet into images.

The exhibition brings together twenty award-winning projects from the World Press Photo Contest archive, focusing on 21st-century stories. The selected photographs reveal intertwined narratives of crisis, innovation, adaptation, and resilience. For the first time, a World Press Photo exhibition is coming to a COP, and not “behind closed doors,” but open to all who wish to see it. In Belém, the city hosting COP30, Down to Earth will be presented in an itinerant format — moving by bicycle. This “cycling exhibition” was developed in collaboration with local businesses and the Perifa na Pista project.

“In this way, we literally put images, stories, and sustainability into motion, through a Dutch icon of sustainable mobility: the bicycle,” says Jelle Floot, from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Brasília. In the coming years, Dutch embassies around the world will have the opportunity to host the exhibition in their countries, encouraging the public to reflect on their relationship with the planet.

In this way, we literally put images, stories, and sustainability into motion, through a Dutch icon of sustainable mobility: the bicycle.

Launch during COP30

The official launch of the exhibition will take place during COP30 in Belém (PA), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Brasília. The inauguration will be held on November 11th, at 11 am, at the Gastronomy Boulevard (Blvd. Castilho França, 240). The location was chosen because it is next to the installation “Eggcident”, created by the Dutch visual artist Henk Hofstra. The work consists of giant fried eggs, installed in a public space, serving as a poetic and visual reminder of the impact of global warming. The piece is part of the Virada Sustentável program, a festival that uses artistic interventions to promote awareness about sustainability. The event has the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

WPP ‘Down to Earth’ – COP30 Belém

Orange platoon

After the inauguration, the “orange platoon” will head towards the Green Zone and the city’s main tourist attractions. The exhibition is itinerant and can be seen by the public from November 10 to 24, 2025. World Exhibition After Brazil, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cairo will present the exhibition in Port Said, Egypt, from November 14 to 27, 2025. More than ten other Dutch representations have already expressed interest in hosting the exhibition in their countries. The exhibition will remain on international tour until December 2028.

WPP ‘Down to Earth’ – COP30 Belém

Resilience

The Kingdom of the Netherlands has previously collaborated with the World Press Photo Foundation on the Resilience exhibition, which portrayed the challenges and strength of women, girls, and communities in different parts of the world. Presented in more than 30 locations, the exhibition highlighted stories marked by resilience and overcoming adversity.

WPP ‘Down to Earth’ – COP30 Belém