Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue—it’s a business opportunity. As global leaders gather for high-profile climate summits, the real story often unfolds beyond the main stage, where corporate interests, financial incentives, and political manoeuvring shape the future of our planet and common resources. This project takes a critical look at the spectacle of climate negotiations, exposing the gap between ambitious rhetoric and the realities of a system still deeply entrenched in fossil fuel dependency.

Set against the backdrop of host cities like Dubai and Baku—both symbols of the oil economy—this work explores the contradictions at the heart of global climate discourse. Without insider access, it captures what the public sees: the carefully curated narratives, the unspoken hierarchies, and the spaces where power operates just out of sight. Through photography, it highlights the tensions, contradictions, and quiet transactions that rarely make the headlines.

Rather than reinforcing the illusion of progress, this project challenges us to question who truly benefits from these summits—and whether real change is even possible within a framework built to sustain the status quo.


Supported by Rotterdam Photo + Amarte Fonds & het Cultuurfonds + Voorderkunst.