Climate Change Is Personal. Is Climate Action? | Alongside COP31

An afternoon connecting climate, culture and public action through dialogue and contemporary African photography. Climate Change Is Personal. Is Climate Action? Whose stories shape climate decisions – and whose are left out? Climate change is experienced personally – in the loss of livelihoods, changing landscapes, threatened communities and uncertain futures. Across Africa, the Mediterranean and beyond, these changes are reshaping everyday life. Yet the policies, investments and decisions that determine how we respond are often made far removed from these realities. As COP31 seeks to turn climate commitments into meaningful action, this conversation explores whose experiences shape the global climate agenda, the power of culture and storytelling to influence public priorities, and what it takes to translate awareness into decisions that deliver meaningful change. The discussion, co-hosted by Antalya Metropolitan Municipality’s Department of Climate Change and Zero Waste, brings together perspectives from policy, finance, culture, media and technology - and forms part of the Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellowship & Photo Essay Prize's exhibition programme in Antalya. Panel Discussion & Exhibition Viewing • Sunday, 15 November 2026 | 3:00–4:30pm • Bülent Ecevit Cultural Center, Antalya, Türkiye The event will feature a moderated panel discussion, audience Q&A and an opportunity to explore the exhibition and connect with other attendees. Exhibition Dates & Venues The 2026 Climate Storytelling Fellowship exhibition will be presented at two locations in Antalya during COP31, in collaboration with Antalya Metropolitan Municipality’s Department of Climate Change and Zero Waste: • 11–16 November 2026 | Bülent Ecevit Cultural Center, Antalya • 17–27 November 2026 | Foyer, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Building, Antalya About the Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellowship & Photo Essay Prize The Climate Storytelling Fellowship & Photo Essay Prize is part of Africa Soft Power's wider work to advance climate literacy, encourage public engagement and bring African perspectives into global conversations on climate change. Developed under the Road to 100 Million Climate Soldiers in Africa initiative, the programme invites young African and diaspora photographers aged 18–30 to document environmental change and the ways communities are responding. Across three editions, the programme has attracted more than 1,140 photographs from over 30 countries, with winning and finalist works exhibited across Africa, Europe and North America. The 2026 edition, themed Lines of Survival: Living, Adapting, Imagining Tomorrow, explores how people navigate climate pressures, adapt to changing environments and imagine more resilient futures. This year's international exhibition programme launched at The Africa Center in New York in September, coinciding with the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week NYC. In Antalya, the exhibition brings these emerging African perspectives to audiences participating in COP31 and the wider public, creating opportunities to engage with climate change through photography and the experiences of communities directly affected by environmental change.