Image of destructive floodwaters wins Environmental Photographer of the Year prize

The winners of the 2019 Environmental Photographer of the Year have been revealed.

High Tide Enters Home by SL Shanth Kumar.

High Tide Enters Home by SL Shanth Kumar. Source: SL Shanth Kumar via CIWEM

An image of raging floodwaters engulfing "a victim of climate change" in India has won the 2019 Environmental Photographer of the Year overall prize.

The winners of the annual award, which showcases the impact of humans on our planet, were announced alongside the UN Climate Action Summit in New York this week.
SL Shanth Kumar took out the top prize for his photo High Tide Enters Home, which captured huge waves hitting a shanty town in Mumbai.

At the back of an image, a 40-year-old fisherman is thrown out of his home. The photographer said he was later rescued by a fellow fisherman.

"As a photojournalist, I am seeing [climate change] unfurl before my eyes. I have seen drought, excessive rain, summers getting hotter and winters getting colder," he said.

"I believe this change is not good and we need to act now otherwise it will impact the generations to come."

He said the reclaimed city of Mumbai is facing an increased risk of coastal flooding as a result of climate change.
An Era of Plastic by Hansa Tangmanpoowadol.
An Era of Plastic by Hansa Tangmanpoowadol. Source: Hansa Tangmanpoowadol via CIWEM
Chief executive of organisers CIWEM Terry Fuller said, "climate change is the defining issue of our time and now is the time to act".

"This competition showcases the reality of how people are being impacted by the climate all around the world and aims to spread an important message worldwide to inspire big change."
Tuvalu beneath the rising tide by Sean Gallagher.
Tuvalu beneath the rising tide by Sean Gallagher. Source: Sean Gallagher via CIWEM
The competition's Changing Environments prize was given to Sean Gallagher's photo of rising tides in Tuvalu and Eliud Gil Samaniego's image of a Mexican city shrouded in pollution won the Sustainable Cities Prize.
Polluted New Year by Eliud Gil Samaniego.
Polluted New Year by Eliud Gil Samaniego. Source: Eliud Gil Samaniego via CIWEM
Frederick Dharshie Wissah's Water Scarcity received the Water, Equality and Sustainability Prize.

"A young boy is drinking dirty water due to lack of water points in the area, which has occurred due to deforestation. A lack of clean water greatly increases the risk of diarrhoeal diseases as cholera, typhoid fever and dysentery, and other water-borne tropical diseases," the photo description read.
Water Scarcity by Frederick Dharshie Wissah.
Water Scarcity by Frederick Dharshie Wissah. Source: Frederick Dharshie Wissah via CIWEM
Neville Ngomane won the Young Environmental Photographer of the Year for a photo of a rhino being de-horned in an attempt to protect it from being poached.
Desperate Measures by Neville Ngomane.
Desperate Measures by Neville Ngomane. Source: Neville Ngomane via CIWEM

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Image of destructive floodwaters wins Environmental Photographer of the Year prize | SBS News