Images of Climate Change – Instagram

A selection of Sean Gallagher’s images from Instagram, centered around the theme of climate change.

All images are available for licensing in editorial and commercial projects. Contact the Sean Gallagher Studio directly at sean’at’gallagher-photo.com

Rising Seas in Tuvalu

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A young boy swims in a flooded area near the airport runway, in downtown Funafuti. Parts of the island flood at this time of the year due to the 'king tides'. The king tides are seasonal and are characterised by very high water levels in the surrounding ocean. At this time of year the waves inundate the coastline but also water seeps up through the ground which is made of porous coral. This natural phenomenon is particularly serious for Tuvalu, a low-lying atoll island nation, whose highest point is only a few metres above sea level. As sea levels rise, the king tides regularly flood parts of the island and will likely increase in severity in the future, potentially making large parts of the nation uninhabitable. —- #pacific #pacificislands #polynesia #tuvalu #funafuti #climatechange #everydayeverywhere #everydayclimatechange @natgeoimagecollection

A post shared by Sean Gallagher (@sean_gallagher_photo) on Mar 23, 2019 at 12:16pm PDT

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Tuvaluans play volleyball next to a flooded area, in downtown Funafuti. Parts of the island flood at this time of the year due to the 'king tides'. The US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines these as, "a King Tide is a non-scientific term people often use to describe exceptionally high tides. Tides are long-period waves that roll around the planet as the ocean is "pulled" back and forth by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun as these bodies interact with the Earth in their monthly and yearly orbits." This natural phenomenon is particularly serious for Tuvalu, a low-lying atoll island nation, whose highest point is only 5 metres above sea level. As sea levels rise, the king tides regularly flood parts of the island and will likely increase in severity in the future, potentially making large parts of the nation uninhabitable. I am in Tuvalu this month and will be sharing more images about the environmental challenges this unique nation faces. —- #pacific #pacificislands #tuvalu #funafuti #climatechange #everydayeverywhere #everydayclimatechange

A post shared by Sean Gallagher (@sean_gallagher_photo) on Mar 20, 2019 at 1:25pm PDT

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Fallen trees lie on a beach in Tuvalu as the wavs lap around them. The ebbs and flows of the fragile land are a natural process on coral atoll islands such as those in Tuvalu. As sea levels rise and king tides exacerbate flooding, its easy to see however how climate change and changing weather events may drastically alter these islands. The country is made up of a collection of small islands and coral atolls, totalling only 27 square kilometres, scattered over 500,000 square kilometres of ocean. The highest point throughout the country is only 5 metres above sea level, resulting in special vulnerability to sea level rise. According to the Tuvaluan government, "since 1993, sea level near Tuvalu has risen about 5mm per year; this is larger than the global average." ••• #pacific #pacificislands #tuvalu #climatechange #dji #djimavicpro2 #everydayeverywhere #everydayclimatechange @natgeoimagecollection

A post shared by Sean Gallagher (@sean_gallagher_photo) on Apr 11, 2019 at 5:02am PDT

Jakarta: The Sinking City

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A mother leads her child through the shallows of Jakarta bay in the north of the city. ▪▪▪ Located on the northern shores of the island of Java, the Indonesian capital of Jakarta is on the front line of climate change. The city is regularly engulfed by floods, which often submerge over a third of the city, bringing the world’s tenth most populous city to a standstill. With nearly 40% of the city lying beneath sea level, this deluge of water is not a rare event for the millions of Jakartans who live in this sprawling megalopolis. ▪▪▪As well as rising sea levels threatening the capital, the city itself is actually sinking as a result of groundwater extraction, exacerbating the flooding problem. The sinking is so severe that is occurring on average at 10cm per year however in certain parts of the city, the decline has been documented by as much as 30cm per year. ▪▪▪ It is estimated that up to a third of Jakarta could be underwater within the next 20-30 years. ▪▪▪ Images taken Spring, 2013 ▪▪▪ #asia #indonesia #java #jakarta #climatechange #flooding #risingseas #canon5diii

A post shared by Sean Gallagher (@sean_gallagher_photo) on Jan 13, 2019 at 5:43pm PST

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A man walks through a mangrove forest in the north-west of Jakarta. According to the Jakarta Post, "it is now only a matter of time before mangroves are totally erased from the map of Jakarta — a victim of unbridled urbanization and industrialization programs initiated by the government". Wetlands are valued for their ability to protect coastlines from flood events and tidal surges, as well as being incredibly rich in biodiversity. Their loss has removed nature's natural flood defences. ▪▪▪ Located on the northern shores of the island of Java, the Indonesian capital of Jakarta is on the front line of climate change. The city is regularly engulfed by floods, which often submerge over a third of the city, bringing the world’s tenth most populous city to a standstill. With nearly 40% of the city lying beneath sea level, this deluge of water is not a rare event for the millions of Jakartans who live in this sprawling megalopolis. ▪▪▪As well as rising sea levels threatening the capital, the city itself is actually sinking as a result of groundwater extraction, exacerbating the flooding problem. The sinking is so severe that is occurring on average at 10cm per year however in certain parts of the city, the decline has been documented by as much as 30cm per year. ▪▪▪ It is estimated that up to a third of Jakarta could be underwater within the next 20-30 years. ▪▪▪ Images taken Spring, 2013 ▪▪▪ #asia #indonesia #java #jakarta #climatechange #wetlands #flooding #risingseas #canon5diii

A post shared by Sean Gallagher (@sean_gallagher_photo) on Jan 22, 2019 at 4:26am PST

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High tide washes over the shores of a beach in northern Jakarta. ▪▪▪ Located on the northern shores of the island of Java, the Indonesian capital of Jakarta is on the front line of climate change. The city is regularly engulfed by floods, which often submerge over a third of the city, bringing the world’s tenth most populous city to a standstill. With nearly 40% of the city lying beneath sea level, this deluge of water is not a rare event for the millions of Jakartans who live in this sprawling megalopolis. ▪▪▪As well as rising sea levels threatening the capital, the city itself is actually sinking as a result of groundwater extraction, exacerbating the flooding problem. The sinking is so severe that is occurring on average at 10cm per year however in certain parts of the city, the decline has been documented by as much as 30cm per year. ▪▪▪ It is estimated that up to a third of Jakarta could be underwater within the next 20-30 years. ▪▪▪ Images taken Spring, 2013 ▪▪▪ #asia #indonesia #java #jakarta #climatechange #flooding #risingseas #canon5diii

A post shared by Sean Gallagher (@sean_gallagher_photo) on Jan 18, 2019 at 3:57am PST

Desertification in China

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A man walks through sand dunes at the Shapotou Tennger Desert resort in China's northern Ningxia province. ••• 10 years ago I embarked on a 6-week overland journey across the breadth of China, to document the effects of increasing desertification in the north and west of the country. It was my first major environmental story, supported by a grant from the @pulitzercenter and appearing in @natgeo China. A decade later in 2019, this is still an important story but largely unreported topic. According to the World Bank, "China is severely affected by desertification, with more than a quarter of its territory covered in desert. A combination of environmental and human factors are to blame, but climate change is making things worse." The @UN reports, "By 2025…two-thirds of the world will be living under “water-stressed” conditions – when demand outstrips supply during certain periods – with 1.8 billion people experience absolute water scarcity." #asia #china #ningxia #deserts #desertification #climatechange #climatecrisis #water #canon @canonuk

A post shared by Sean Gallagher (@sean_gallagher_photo) on Oct 29, 2019 at 6:30am PDT

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A sandstorm hovers over dry and degraded farmland in China's northern Ningxia Province. During the spring, seasonal winds will pass over the land picking up soil and dust. Desertification is the gradual transformation of arable and habitable land into desert, usually caused local water mismanagement in arid regions and exacerbated by drought and climate change. In China, appproximately 20-25% of land area is desert. As a result of a combination of poor farming practices, drought and increased demand for groundwater, desertification has become arguably China’s most important environmental challenge. As the effects of increasing desertification appear, farmers are forced to abandon their land, levels of rural poverty rise and sandstorms batter northern and western China each year. ••• This image is from a journey I made in 2009, travelling overland from one side of China to the other, documenting the various effects of desertification. It was my first major environmental story. ••• #asia #china #ningxia #deserts #desertification #water #sandstorm #climatechange #climatecrisis #seangallagher @pulitzercenter

A post shared by Sean Gallagher (@sean_gallagher_photo) on Nov 5, 2019 at 2:39am PST

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Three men walk across a footbridge that has been shrouded in a sandstorm, over the Yellow River in China's northern Ningxia province. ••• 10 years ago I embarked on a 6-week overland journey across the breadth of China, to document the effects of increasing desertification in the north and west of the country. It was my first major environmental story, supported by a grant from the @pulitzercenter and appearing in @natgeo China. A decade later in 2019, this is still an important story but largely unreported topic. According to the World Bank, "China is severely affected by desertification, with more than a quarter of its territory covered in desert. A combination of environmental and human factors are to blame, but climate change is making things worse." The @UN reports, "By 2025…two-thirds of the world will be living under “water-stressed” conditions – when demand outstrips supply during certain periods – with 1.8 billion people experience absolute water scarcity." #asia #china #ningxia #deserts #desertification #climatechange #climatecrisis #water #yellowriver #seangallagher #canon @canonuk

A post shared by Sean Gallagher (@sean_gallagher_photo) on Nov 1, 2019 at 1:53am PDT