Award-Winning Photograph Depicts the Human Toll of Land Erosion in India

(New York, NY — November 30, 2022) — Photography 4 Humanity, the designated photography platform for the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, proudly announces Masood Sarwer as the winner of the 2022 Global Prize. His evocative photograph, "The Endless Dance of Erosion," provides a poignant visual narrative of the devastating human impacts of land erosion in West Bengal, India, and underscores the urgent need for global climate justice.

The winning image highlights the profound intersection of climate change and human rights. Sarwer’s winning photograph portrays Nurul Islam, an 80-year-old man sitting in a chair amidst the dismantling of his home in Malda, West Bengal. The striking image is accompanied by Islam’s heart-wrenching testimony: "Last week my wife died due to cardiac arrest and the following week we started dismantling our house when we heard the Ganges started eroding the land again."

The contest, which seeks to highlight the impacts of climate change through a human rights lens, culminated with the unveiling of the winning photo and more than 30 finalists and honorable mentions at CU Boulder, as the university is set to host the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit Dec. 2–4 with United Nations Human Rights. Sarwer, the winning photographer, is based in New Delhi and focuses his work on documenting the profound changes in culture and society and the contemporary issues in the Murshidabad district region where he grew up.

“The reason I took this photograph is to show the slow violence of the region and how it has created a permanent impact on the socioeconomic conditions and demographic dislocation,” said Sarwer. “The slow and steady riverbank erosion has not only given birth to a class of environmental refugees but also has denied the right to rehabilitation.”

The images in the contest highlight the challenges caused by the climate crisis to vulnerable populations around the world - a theme that will be at the center of the Global Climate Summit taking place this weekend.

As the official photography platform of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, Photography 4 Humanity plays a vital role in spotlighting the human stories behind the climate crisis. Supported by global partner United Nations Human Rights, the competition invites both amateur and professional photographers worldwide to document the resilience and realities faced by communities most impacted by climate change.

"The selected photographs in this exhibit show both the devastating humanitarian impacts of climate change and the urgency with which we must act to prevent further harm," said David Clark, founder and CEO of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance. "These images have the power to shape our understanding of this global crisis in ways that words cannot."

The photos will remain on display at NEST Studio for the Arts throughout the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit in an exhibit that is free and open to the public. They will then move to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City for UN Human Rights Day on Dec. 10.



For more information about Photography 4 Humanity, the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, and this year’s winning entries, visit www.photography4humanity.com.