Climatelinks Photo Gallery

Traditional markets are the lifeblood of communities across the world. Every part of the food value chain, from farm to fork, has dramatic impacts on our climate and needs to be at the forefront of any climate discussion. Here, some vendors and friends share a joke in the midday heat of Hawassa, Ethiopia. 

This photo was taken on May 28th, 2022, for Feed the Future's EatSafe: Evidence and Action Toward Safe and Nutritious Food, a USAID-funded program. Partners include the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Pierce Mill Entertainment and Education, Busara Center for Behavioral Economics, and the International Livestock and Research Institute. 

This photo was taken in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in June 2017. It shows children with a camel who lives in this dry land. Camels are drought-tolerant animals, and humans also need to improve their water-saving habits to protect water resources. For example, we can reduce our shower time and unnecessary car washing.

Where does honey come from? The picture gives us the answer. While this method is not traditional, it is still the work of "nature." Climate change will affect ecology, meaning our food may have to be grown or harvested in different ways.

The fruit of the mauritia flexuosa palm is widely consumed in the Amazon rainforest. It is also known as aguaje in Peru, buriti in Brazil, morete in Ecuador, and moriche in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Colombia. However, the fruit has been declining due to poor harvesting practices, which include logging the palm to collect the fruit, resulting in an increase in deforestation rates of the aguajales, the palm swamps. The aguaje represents one of the main livelihoods of Amazonian families. It has a high nutritional and cultural value for indigenous communities and is a source of food for countless species of wildlife.

The "Maquisapa," named in honor of the white-bellied spider monkey (the Ateles belzebuth), is a tool that Green Gold Forestry S.A. (GGF) employs for palm climbing. Before its use, members of the GGF technical team and partner communities of the USAID-funded project "Sustainable Management of Forest Concessions" were trained in the practical use of palm fruits. At GGF, we are committed to conservation, sustainable harvesting, and innovation. We apply palm climbing techniques that are friendly to the aguaje palm tree, maintaining the availability of the resource and creating sustained benefits for the indigenous community.

The photo shows children between the ages of 9 and 13 who belong to 14 different indigenous communities in the middle basin of the Napo River, Maynas Province, Department of Loreto, Peru. They received recycling and environmental education classes from Green Gold Forestry S.A. (GGF) technical staff. The children awakened their interest in environmental preservation and care, developing environmental responsibility and responsiveness to their actions early, thus becoming "mini-agents of change towards sustainable development."

The students expressed their gratitude for the learning acquired in these workshops, which focused on correctly managing solid waste and recycling in their daily lives. They were also amazed to discover the variety of handicrafts that can be created from plastic bottle waste, highlighting the need to share and incorporate recycling practices with their families at their homes. This initiative proposed by GGF contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action, which promotes awareness and, thereby, understanding of the effects of pollution in the context of climate change.

This photo shows a boat carrying the Green Gold Forestry (GGF) technical team entering our concessions located at the confluence of the Napo River, the chocolate-colored river on the right, and the Tacsha Curaray River, the darker-colored river on the left. In the context of climate change, forests and rivers are great allies in the fight against global warming. Both act as carbon reservoirs and climate regulators. 

GGF is implementing one of the largest forest carbon sequestration projects, covering 183,000 hectares in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Through the implementation of a "no-logging" regime, it was possible to conserve areas destined to be logged. Furthermore, the integrated management of the forest's ecosystem services guarantees economic and environmental sustainability, providing opportunities for the indigenous communities surrounding the project. In this way, GGF demonstrates its commitment to the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

Green Gold Forestry (GGF) conducts a social baseline survey focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which includes current economic, cultural, social, demographic, and geographic aspects in the area. This activity was implemented in 14 indigenous communities that are partners of the USAID-funded project "Sustainable Management of Forestry Concessions." The activity was based on data collection through surveys, contributions, and observations from the Kichwa and Murui Muinani ethnic groups, who shared their knowledge and practices related to the use of natural resources in the area and indicated access routes. In the photo, Kyara Arciniega, GGF forest custodian (a specialist in the protection of forest resources and wildlife), provides technical information with traditional and ancestral knowledge from the community about the management of forest resources in the region. These actions strengthen conservation efforts, ensuring gender equity and social inclusion of indigenous peoples. In addition, GGF encourages indigenous women to establish a bond of awareness and communication so that they can participate in the benefits provided by the project implemented by GGF.

A local fisherman is depicted looking for any fish he may have netted in Ajoddhya Hills, Purulia, India. These small, independent fishermen must try to gain their livelihoods in the adjoining locality where bodies of water depend on either dams or rainfall. In both cases, there must be favorable climate conditions to ensure water quality. To safeguard their livelihood, farmers rely on the application of Sustainable Development Goal 12. It ensures the natural flow of water, healthy marine life, and biodiversity, ultimately improving the lives of marginalized communities. Sustainable development also ensures two essential aspects of human civilization: access to pure and consistent drinking water and the generation and supply of electricity using environment-friendly hydroelectric energy.

This photo shows Dal lake in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir in India. The lake is known globally as the "Jewel in the Crown" of Kashmir due to its beauty and floating vegetable market. It is a popular tourist destination. The more than 22 square km lake has nearly 50 hamlets that provide housing to several hundred communities. These people depend on the floating land mass of the lake, which is comprised of matted vegetation and soil unattached to the lake bottom. This floating land mass is rejuvenated by thick ice-coating during the period of extreme cold. It also provides organic fertiliser through a perpetual ecological system. The local traders carry fresh vegetables to the floating market, where they sell from canoes and dinghis. It is a unique ecosystem that is rich in planktons and zoo-planktons, which come from the Himalayas. This helps maintain a variety of fish and flowers, which have provided a sustainable livelihood to communities for centuries. This lake also provides drinking water to the localities. Several government agencies, both from India and abroad, collaborate in maintaining the lake's natural ambiance and sanctity as per the protocols of nodal government tribunals.

This photo shows the village Khonama in Nagaland in India. Soil erosion in difficult terrain like this not only jeopardizes the geographical contour of the region but also adversely affects the ecology of the surrounding locality. Step cultivation is one of the most effective, known means for agriculture in hilly regions. This ancient technique produces food for sustainable living and stops the devastating effects of continuous erosion. Khonoma is a Naga village located about 20 km west of Kohima, the capital of Nagaland state, which lies on the Indo-Myanmar border. The village is inhabited mostly by the Angami tribe. In recent years, habitual ethnic and sacred cultural practice of hunting has been stopped by the conservation-minded village elders, except for three days in a year. The hills are covered with lush forestland, rich in various species of flora and fauna, including the endangered state bird, Blyth’s tragopan. Their sustainable agricultural practices, including fallowing and agroforestry, and conservation practices have earned this model Himalayan hamlet global recognition. The direct intervention of the NGOs, together with government assistance, has helped in confidence-building measures in the community, specifically towards sensitizing them about the protection of natural flora and fauna in the area.

Tea is a rain-fed crop that needs specific soil and air temperatures and moisture conditions for desired growth. Increased temperatures, decreased rainfall, and changes in relative humidity adversely affect the quantity and quality of tea production. The chances of pest infestation also go up with an increase in temperature. Both an excess and shortage of water affect the growth of tea bushes. Tea bushes need adequate and well-distributed rainfall. Heavy and erratic rain can lead to flooding, which damages the plants and causes soil erosion, while a lack of sunshine can lead to less growth, pest, and diseases. Plucking tea leaves and buds requires special skills. The people of the adjoining areas of the Himalayan tea gardens are especially skilled in fulfilling such crucial requirements, helping to maintain the flavor, aroma, and taste of Darjeeling tea. This artistic instinct has mapped India as a major tea producer, and it earns a sizeable income for the workers. Kudos to the artistry of these poor laborers, who are instrumental in bringing the unique aroma and flavor of this organic liquid derived from this green vegetation and making it into the proud signature product of India.

Climatic disturbances significantly impact the livelihood of fishing communities that depend on rain-fed rivers. These rivers originate from the medium-height plateau regions without any ice-fed source. When there is insufficient rain, such as outside of the rainy season, such rivers become too low. This reduces the probability of a family catching an adequate number of fish. It can be challenging for a fishing community along the river as they struggle to maintain a livelihood during these periods. To address this, communities come together, forming a close group in a small area in the shallows of the river. They mutually encircle a small portion of water and place their nets simultaneously so that any yield within the circle can land in the traps. At the end of each day, they distribute an equal share among themselves. It is a tried and tested survival technique to ensure sustainable living for the entire community.

In this photo, millions of bricks are stacked in brick kiln factories situated at Savar, Aminbazar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. These factories are major contributors to air and environmental pollution in Bangladesh. There are around 200 Brickfields inside a small area of land in Savar, Aminbazar. Millions of bricks are burnt inside these kilns every day. There are about 6,000 brickfields in all of Bangladesh, 1,000 of which are unregistered, and two billion bricks are produced at these factories annually. After burning the bricks, the bricks are stacked together for sale. Trucks are then used to carry the orders throughout the country.

This is an aerial view of chimneys from a local brick factory flooded by monsoon rains near Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Hundreds of brick factories appear to have nearly disappeared under water following severe flooding. The buildings were covered when heavy rainfall caused a nearby river to overflow. Brick kilns are major contributors to air and environmental pollution in Bangladesh, contributing 17 percent of the annual carbon dioxide emissions.

With the high rate of urbanization in recent decades, cities, Paurashavas, and small urban centers produce a huge amount of solid waste every day. Besides urbanization, improved living standards of the people and increased economic activities also resulted in a higher amount of waste per capita in the country. Bangladesh is faced with an acute urban waste management problem. This is a threat to human health through pollution of surface and ground water, soil, and air. 

The primary collection of solid waste from households and markets in large cities is carried out through small neighbourhood efforts. In most cities, a door-to-door collection system is practiced with the effort of community leaders while in smaller ones, the Paurashava staff collect domestic waste and empty them into the community bins. People who collect the garbage take small amounts of money from the residents and shop-keepers for collecting and dumping them in the waste bins. The City Corporation and Paurashava trucks collect the garbage from the bins and take those to the landfill sites, which are open areas in the vicinity of the cities and towns. 

Segregation of garbage is not done by the local bodies and poor scavengers do it only for their own earning, except in some cities and towns where small pilot projects are being tested with the cooperation of donors and NGOs. The huge amount of urban waste generated can potentially be recycled into fertilizers, and generate electricity, and the recovered plastics and metals can be processed and used to produce new products.

The deforestation of mangroves has become a climate change issue. Deforestation is primarily the result of local people cutting mangroves for their livelihood. Mangroves mitigate the effects of climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere and providing coastal protection. In addition, the mangrove ecosystem and its many natural resources, including fish, are vital to communities.