Evidence of Climate Change in Photo Exhibition

The flooding in King Park is among the dozens of images that can be found at climateconversationsri.com. (Photos by Tim Walsh)

For those who need more con­vincing about the effects of climate change a visit to the Jamestown Philomenian Library over the next week should do the trick. A photo exhibition showing climate change impact in southern Rhode Island is on display there through May 15 presented by a grass roots organi­zation called Climate Conversations.

Vivid images across 27 photos document coastal and urban flooding, beachfront property ero­sion and beaches shrinking from sea level increases. The pictures taken mostly by amateur photographers along Rhode Island’s southern coast and inland flood sites make the challenges all too clear.

Meg Kerr, one of the organizers of Climate Conversations based in North Kingstown, said their main objective is to raise awareness and encourage people to volunteer to participate in efforts to deal with climate change. “We’re just a group of people who are con­cerned about climate change, and we want to share that concern with others,” she said.

Most of the images were made by a group of friends who share pho­tography as a hobby, Kerr explained. “We all have an interest in photog­raphy but realized we shared a con­cern about climate issue,” she said. “That’s how we started putting the exhibition together.”

The group of North Kingstown residents gathered the photos and created the Climate Conver­sations group in 2024. The exhibi­tion has traveled from the North Kingstown Free Library and d to schools, churches, and coffee shops in southern Rhode Island. Kerr said the exhibition has not been mounted on Aquidneck Is­land, but they would be happy to have a host in any of the three communities.

Among the images, one shows a flooded Clinton Street in Newport, several show the severe erosion of beachfronts in Matunuck in South Kingstown and Misquamicut in Westerly. Others reveal flood damage at an Audubon Society wildlife refuge in Exeter, parking lots under water in Wickford and other locations, and the Watch Hill Yacht Club in danger from rising seas.

The group has also held public sessions on topics from rising insurance costs to sustainable landscaping, though no events are currently scheduled. “Our hope is simply that the photos will spur discussions among Rhode Islanders as we work together to plan for a future impacted by cli­mate change,” Kerr said.