Planet in Peril: Environmental Photographer of the Year competition captures the crisis of floods, droughts, and plastic pollution
Capturing the urgent reality of our planet's challenges, the Environmental Photographer of the Year competition unveils stirring images from climate-vulnerable nations, shining a powerful spotlight on the impact of floods, droughts, and plastic pollution Step into the frontlines through stunning photography
A herd of buffaloes roam the dry land during a drought, a farmer and his cows navigate knee-deep floodwaters, and people traverse a bridge over a river of multicolored trash. These three striking scenes were captured by the winners of the 2023 Environmental Photographer of the Year competition, all in the country of Bangladesh.
As one of the most susceptible countries to climate change, Bangladesh ranks seventh on the latest Global Climate Risk Index, spanning from 2000 to 2019. The country faces risks from cyclones, tornadoes, and floods, with projections suggesting that by 2050, one in every seven people in Bangladesh will be displaced due to climate change.
Bangladeshi photographers such as Shafiul Islam feel a duty to draw attention to these dangers. His striking photograph of a buffalo illustrates the droughts that have affected the northern part of the country in recent decades. According to him, rivers, canals, and reservoirs in the area have dried up, leading to a decrease in crop production and causing hardship for local communities.
When it rains, it pours - as depicted in 18-year-old Solayman Hossain's photo of a farmer navigating floodwaters during the monsoon season in the Kushtia district in the west of the country. Hossain, who grew up in a nearby village, has witnessed significant environmental changes in his lifetime. "My village has been frequently hit by flooding and cyclones, causing damage to crops and destroying people's livelihoods," he explains to CNN.
As the frequency of extreme weather events continues to rise, so does the accompanying damage, displacement, and anxiety about the next disaster. "Many of us are constantly rebuilding our lives, especially in the aftermath of each catastrophe," he explains.
A farmer and his cows wade through floodwater, after a road in Kushtia, Bangladesh, became submerged in water during monsoon season.
Solayman Hossain
Photography on the frontlines
Now in its 16th year, the photo competition - put together by streaming platform WaterBear and the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management in collaboration with Nikon - received numerous entries from more than 159 countries. It may be unexpected, then, that one country produced three of the six category winners.
Sam Sutaria, CEO of WaterBear, attributes the country's strong engagement with climate issues to Bangladesh's direct and harsh experience with the climate crisis. "Frequent flooding, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events make the climate crisis a harsh reality in Bangladesh, not just an abstract concept," he emphasizes.
Additionally, Sutaria notes that this year's competition received entries from other regions heavily impacted by climate change, such as India, West Bengal, Antarctica, and Argentina. These entries demonstrate that photographers working in the front lines of these crises are using their art to drive change, inspiring awareness and action by highlighting the urgent issues faced on a daily basis.
A bridge in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is surrounded by plastic waste.
As a professional photographer from Bangladesh, Jahid Apu captured a compelling drone shot of a bridge in the capital city, Dhaka, showcasing the disturbing presence of plastic waste. This powerful image earned him the top spot in the "MPB vision of the future" category. Through his photography, Apu aims to shed light on the detrimental effects of plastic pollution and inspire viewers to reconsider their plastic disposal habits. His hope is that this impactful visual will prompt individuals to make positive changes in their behavior.
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"I don't want my photos to be simply admired for their beauty and then forgotten. True success, for me, is when I can catch people off-guard, making them more aware of important issues, or when someone approaches me to share the impact my photograph had on them," Apu explains to CNN.
Sutaria believes that the award-winning photos from this year's competition symbolize a broader change in environmental photography. Instead of depicting nature as an undisturbed paradise, the images now convey a conservation message.
"They reveal nature in all its raw, vulnerable beauty, urging us to take action and preserve it," he explains. "These photos signify a fresh, dynamic approach to telling the story of climate change."
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