The Met Gala tried to bring climate change into the conversation. The celebrities weren’t listening.

Nature took center stage at the Met Gala last night. Zendaya, a co-chair this year, looked like a moonlit peacock emerging from a dark forest, while Emma Chamberlain embodied the forest itself — a depiction of decaying beauty and the impermanence of all things. Tyla’s dress was literally made of sand, a silent hourglass in her hand.

The theme, "Garden of Time," was inspired by a short story by British writer JG Ballard. In it, a couple resides in a villa adorned with a unique garden brimming with magical flowers. Each bloom, when plucked, reverses time. Faced with an angry mob, the couple uses these flowers as temporal shields against the relentless march of time. 

The exhibition, titled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” divides its 250 items into three categories: Land, Sea, Sky, highlighting the natural world and celebrating, as curator Andrew Bolton notes, the “impermanence and the transitory nature of fashion.” Essentially, it's about preserving what we have before it vanishes. Sound familiar?

These metaphors hint at our dwindling time to act. But the night lacked genuine discussions on sustainability, biodiversity, or the very issue the theme hinted at but never explicitly addressed — climate change. Ballard himself pioneered climate fiction. So why the glaring absence of conversations about climate change on fashion’s biggest night?

The disconnect is palpable. Far from championing circularity and sustainability, the Gala this year seemed more excessive than ever. New custom gowns were everywhere, mimicking archival designs. Zendaya wore two gowns. Trains abound — Cardi B’s was so big it had to be carried by not one, not two, but EIGHT footmen. Doja Cat, in a “wet” long t-shirt, wanted to pay tribute to the “most used flower of all” in fashion – cotton – and yet failed to mention how the water-hungry crop contributes to soil degradation and water scarcity in many areas. It takes about 20,000 liters of water to make a single T-shirt and a pair of jeans. At this point, the fashion industry’s impact on the climate is so well-documented it’s borderline cliché. It contributes 2.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in a single year — a staggering 4% of all global emissions. Its impact extends beyond carbon – it pollutes waterways, generates textile waste, and fuels deforestation. But watching this year’s Gala, it’s as if these problems don't exist.

I look forward to the Met Gala every year. I revel in the pomp and circumstance and the sudden influx of fashion critics on Twitter. I love admiring the artistry of designers, hair stylists, and makeup artists. However, with climate change imperiling humanity, seeing exquisite gowns worn by celebrities is no longer enough. This year's Met Gala was a missed opportunity. With the future hanging in the balance, the fashion industry needs to step up and become an active participant in the climate conversation.