Care France ads link rising temperatures to domestic violence
The OOH work from agency Belle, titled Degree of Violence, highlights how climate change affects women and vulnerable communities
As Paris sweltered through its most recent heatwave, a series of digital billboards across the city delivered an unsettling message: as temperatures soared, so did the visible signs of violence against women.
Created by independent French agency Belle for the humanitarian organisation Care France, the Degree of Violence campaign ran from July 7-14, using real-time weather data to transform outdoor advertising screens into a stark visualisation of the hidden consequences of extreme heat.
The creative centred on a portrait of a woman whose appearance gradually changed according to the outside temperature. As the mercury rose, bruises, cuts and other signs of physical abuse appeared on her face, with cracks appearing on the surface of the display, creating a direct and visceral connection between climate change and gender-based violence.
The campaign is rooted in a piece of research from the UN Spotlight Initiative, published in April 2025, which found that every additional 1°C increase in temperature is associated with a 4.7% rise in domestic violence.
By translating that shocking statistic into a live, public intervention, Care France and Belle sought to highlight an often-overlooked impact of the climate crisis. Degree of Violence launched during one of Paris’ hottest periods of the summer, giving the work an immediate relevance and urgency.
Alongside the billboards, the campaign included a bike tour through the French capital, taking in various symbolic institutional and media sites including the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the French National Assembly. Street interviews with Parisians and a coordinated social push involving around 20 influencers helped amplify the message beyond the digital billboards.
Much like creative agency Elvis’ recent work for Women’s Aid in the UK, Degree of Violence managed to draw the public’s attention to an often overlooked issue. For Care France, which is part of one of the world’s largest humanitarian networks and last year alone supported more than 58 million people across 100 countries, the work reinforces its long-standing focus on women’s rights and climate justice.