A visual history of the ozone hole: a journey to the heart of science, technology and the global environment

Sebastian Grevsmühl (1, 2)

1 CRH (UMR 8558 CNRS / EHESS) - Centre de Recherches Historiques (CRH) _ Unité Mixte de Recherches (UMR 8558 CNRS / EHESS)
2 GRHEN-CRH - Groupe de Recherche sur l'Histoire de l'Environnement/Equipe CRH

Just over thirty years ago, in 1985, the “ozone hole” made its appearance in the press as a global environmental threat. As one of the most important global environmental issues of the late twentieth century, the “ozone hole” is also a remarkable visual (and metaphorical) construction. This essay examines the historical trajectory of the iconic “ozone hole” within the context of global environmental imagery. It shows in particular the tensions that underlie these images, how the visual and associated technologies can help turn highly localized phenomena into global environmental issues, and to what degree global environmental images may influence public opinion and imagination. The essay closes with some critical notes on environmental images and a call for sustained research into global environmental images.

Mots clés: Ozone hole; Global environmental change; Visual history; Scientific images

Mots clés: Changement Global; Trou d'ozone; Histoire visuelle; Images scientifiques; Changement environnemental

Domaines: Histoire, Philosophie et Sociologie des sciences; Histoire

Sebastian Grevsmühl. A visual history of the ozone hole: a journey to the heart of science, technology and the global environment. History and Technology, 2017, 33 (3), pp.333-344. ⟨10.1080/07341512.2017.1413209⟩. ⟨hal-01723331v2⟩