This month, as National Geographic’s climate change issueNational Geographic’s climate change issue hits the stands, we asked seven photographers to share their most poignant images that reflect climate change. From direct examples to more tangential manifestations, we were interested in seeing how climate change was visible in the work they do.

Here, they share stories of retreating ice, flooded landscapes, and the human toll of a warming planet—using photography, as Lynn Johnson writes, “to inform my neighbors in the hope the images motivate change.” —Jessie Wender, Senior Photo Editor

It is difficult to visualize how climate change is affecting our environment, especially in the Arctic sea-ice regions, because melting still happens slowly with large yearly fluctuations. However, small