Art not only satisfies our aesthetic needs but also plays a vital part in making us aware about issues confronting humankind. Doing precisely this the World Wide Fund for Nature has launched a social media campaign by using art and creatives to draw spotlight on climate change.

Notably, this worldwide campaign according to a write-up in the South China Morning Post will see participation by the who’s who from the world of contemporary art world, including sculpture Anish Kapoor and artist Tracey Emin.

Aptly being christened as Art For Your World, this project will be a part of the international organisation’s 60th anniversary programme.

Significantly, WWF had last month, that is June, released an important publication. The WWF report was titled “Feeling the Heat”, and it explicitly made clear the result and impact of climate change on the environment and the world.

 “Feeling the Heat” highlights that temperatures in the world have risen one degree Celsius above those that prevailed during the time of industrial revolution. It adds that failure to check and curb the warming of the world at 1.5 degrees could lead to catastrophic fallout. The damage to both people and the wildlife because of the increase in the frequency of floods, droughts, heatwaves and wildfires, could be extensive.

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Tanya Steele, the Chief Executive of WWF-UK, was quoted in the SCMP article as stating: “The report’s findings show that every fraction of a degree of additional warming can permanently damage critical ecosystems and lead to the extinction of species across the globe.”

Among the notable artists who are part of the Art For Your World movement are Jadé Fadojutimi, the British painter, Vera Lutter, the German artist working with several forms of digital art, and Gavin Turk, one of the Young British Artists. The works of these artists along with that of Anish Kapoor, Jessica Rankin and Tracey Emin, will be sold at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Day Auction from October 8 to 15. The proceeds will be donated to WWF.

There are still other acclaimed artists, including Chila Kumari Singh Burman, a prominent figure of the Black British Art Movement, and Bob and Roberta Smith, a British contemporary artist, and Heather Phillipson, British artist working in a variety of media, who will be creating works exclusively for the movement. These original artworks for the movement will be sold from September onwards on the Art For Your World website.

Besides the artists, art galleries too have committed to the cause. They will highlight and promote artists and works relevant to environmental issues to share their commitment to climate action. Some have even agreed to donate part of their sales to WWF..

Also read: Restoring a benign balance between man and environment

Museums and cultural institutions will also play their part by sharing environment-related content and drawing the spotlight on the crucial issues of climate change and sustainability.

The WWF-UK Chief Executive observed that increasingly the art world is becoming conscious of its role in raising awareness about green issues, “whether by reducing carbon emissions or exploring environmental issues through art”.

According to the statement released by wwf.org.uk, the funds raised by Art For Your World will be used to help and support key areas of WWF’s work that contribute to combatting dangerous climate change. These areas include halting deforestation; supporting indigenous communities; restoring trees and forests; replanting seagrass meadows; protecting endangered species; and promoting sustainable lifestyles.

Details about the Art For Your World campaign are available on artforyourworld.wwf.org.uk