BBC World Service

Last month I was interviewed by the BBC World Service’s Outlook programme for an article on my work on desertification for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The interview ran over the new year and has proved to be a wonderful new way to spread the message about this issue (the BBC World Service gets around 37 million listeners worldwide apparently).

If you missed it, then you can click on this link here to listen to the entire interview.

Here is the text that ran on the BBC World Service Website:

“Some of the most striking images on display at December’s Copenhagen climate change conference were pictures of China taken by a young British photographer.

Sean Gallagher travelled across the world’s most populated country on what is known as the ‘desertification train.’

And he documented his journey in photos to show how life is a constant struggle for those living on the edges of China’s deserts.

BBC World Service

China is fighting a war against creeping sand – year on year its deserts are expanding and joining to create a massive dustbowl.

It is estimated that 20 per cent of China’s land area – some 1.74 million square kilometers – is now classified as desert.

One of the main stops on Sean’s trip was Hongsibao – an environmental refugee town built from scratch by the Chinese Government to house those forced from their homes by the sandstorms and water shortages.

Lucy Ash spoke to Sean and asked him how these environmental refugees feel about their new home.”

First, Happy New Year everyone! I hope this blog entry finds you well after what I hope was an enjoyable and festive-filled Christmas and New Year. I apologise for my lack of posts over the past couple of weeks. Christmas for me (as it is for most) is a big family occasion and I decided to step away from the computer/internet/twitter/facebook etc. almost entirely over the break, in order to spend some real quality time with family and friends in the UK.

Stepping away from it all is something which I haven’t done enough of over the last few years. I can’t even remember the last time I had a holiday where I wasn’t working or shooting! There’s nothing wrong with working hard but taking breaks is of equal importance. They give us a chance to take a step back, reflect and gauge where we are going and in what direction we are heading. I now feel fully recharged and ready to find out what the new year has in store!

On that note…I need to put up a new blog post…lots has been happening while I’ve been away!