From Nazca Lines to the Mona Lisa, a history of unique climate protest

The protests, meanwhile, do reveal the anger and frustration activists feel, especially with the decision of Egyptian authorities and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Imagine walking up to arguably the most famous painting in the world — Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa —and finding her face smeared with cake. This is what horrified visitors to the Louvre Museum in Paris encountered in May this year. The incident was part of a series of similar defacement of famous art objects in the run up to the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) under way at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

In recent weeks, climate activists have taken to defacing famous paintings in London, Paris, The Hague and Berlin, with mashed potatoes, tomato soup, and red paint. Activists