Breathing on the Brink
“Men argue. Nature acts.” — French philosopher Voltaire blatantly describes the impact world is facing today for climate change, especially Bangladesh.
When the world is busy with cherishing capitalism, making more and more profit, and over whelmed with hedonistic pleasure, a child on the banks of mighty Padma awaits to see his identity getting washed away with the river with his house. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable nations to the impact of climate change. In Bangladesh, 8 million people in 32 districts have been affected by floods, with 307,000 people staying in emergency shelters and 103,855 houses had been destroyed. Thousands of families like this are becoming a climate refugee day by day. Those lands that are being vanished were made by their grandfather, father. But where will they move to? Because of their financial restraints, they have no easy escape. What will they do? To save their families almost all the climate refugees are changing their profession — fishermen, farmers of the villages are turning into cheap labors in the urban settlements with full of uncertainty. And while they move to this uncertain future, who will shed a light of hope answering their questions? These people are nonexistent to the people who might have answers. With constant negligence people sitting on top of the food chain has risked the lives and futures of more than 19 million children a linked to climate change in Bangladesh. Those poor people are suffering from impacts of international geopolitics without them even realizing it.
The people on the brink keep fighting. They keep trying to cope with the changing climate even though the situation is rapidly moving towards the point of no return. They keep dreaming. They keep breathing on the brink.
The long term project Breathing on the Brink that started in 2014, explores the impact of climate change in Bangladesh.
写真家について
Turjoy Chowdhury is a photographer of National Geographic Magazine. He is based in Bangladesh and working in the Indian subcontinent and across Asia, as well as in the USA. He mostly works on long term projects focused on history of war and conflict, geopolitics, social and environmental issues, human rights issues and crisis. His work got published in National Geographic, The Guardian, Time Magazine, The Sunday Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, BBC, CNN, MSN, Al Jazeera, DW, etc and exhibited in USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand, India, Bangladesh. He also got several awards and honors: UNICEF photo of the Year 2018 (2nd Prize), NPPA (National Press Photographers Association) Award 2018; LensCulture Emerging Talent Award 2017; Picture of the Year International 2016, 2018; Lucie Foundation Scholarship 2015; Eye Time photo competition winner 2015; Future Voices Jury Award 2014; Jessica Lum Award 2014; Photophilanthropy Activist award 2014; etc.
ウェブサイト: turjoychowdhury.com
