The World Wide Fund for Nature has curated an exhibition that presents a series of 20 AI-generated paintings that imagine two futures – one where society acts on climate change and one where it does not.
“Future of Nature” draws inspiration from British Romantic painters such as JMW Turner and John Constable, imagining how the movement might have witnessed and recorded the future of our natural world.
The exhibition - created by Uncommon Creative Studio - takes place over the weekend to mark Earth Day (22 April) at 180 The Strand in London. A virtual version of the exhibition is available until 7 May.
Each painting contains the date imagined and a description of real-world scenarios faced today. “Highland wildfires (2034)” depicts a burning ancient woodland, while “Sussex Landfill (2067)” captures an overflowing landfill.
“Spring in Ingleborough” is a more hopeful image, which shows a rambler in the Yorkshire Dales.
A quarter of the UK’s mammals are at risk of extinction, the bird population has depleted by 38 million birds over the past 50 years, 97% of wildflowers meadows have disappeared since the 1930s, and 92% of the UK’s seagrass meadows have been lost over the last century.
Lisa Lee, executive director of communications at WWF, said: “These powerful AI images show the dangerous path we are heading down and how urgently we must act to restore nature at home.
“The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world: our rivers are dying, our native birds and animals are in sharp decline, and we are degrading our land.
“We can all make a difference, but we need action from the government and businesses to divest from fossil fuels, stop pollution and end harmful farming practices.”
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