Italian architect Carlo Ratti has defended his decision to design an exhibition about climate change sponsored by fossil-fuel giant Eni, saying the Milan design week installation is "not greenwashing".
Held in the Brera Botanical Garden, the Natural Capital installation features large bubbles suspended next to different plant species, detailing how much carbon dioxide they absorb from the atmosphere.
The Natural Capital installation consists of giant spheres that communicate the carbon-capturing power of individual trees in Brera's Botanical Gardens
Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) characterises it as a "walkable data visualisation" that quantifies how individual plants contribute to the fight against climate change. The size of the bubble corresponds to the amount of carbon dioxide each plant captures and stores in its lifecycle. The bubbles are made of thin recyclable film and their appearance is meant to recall the shape of oxygen atoms, released by plants during photosynthesis.
The project is sponsored by Eni, which is one of the world's seven biggest oil and gas producers and one of 100 companies responsible for 71 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Alone, it is responsible for 0.59 per cent of them.
The installation is envisaged as a walk-through data visualisation
CRA founder Ratti defended Eni's involvement in the project because the fossil-fuel company is "serious about their carbon transition process".
Eni has pledged to be carbo...