The Prix Pictet is an international photography award for remarkable images that focus on sustainability. It launched this year and is presided over by Kofi Annan, Nobel laureate and former Secretary General of the United Nations.
Nickel streams, Edward Burtynsky
Near Sudbury in the Canadian province of Ontario mining nickel produces startling red streams of oxidised iron that resemble lava flows.
Too much water, Munem Wasif
Catastrophic floods in Bangladesh are forecast to get worse with climate change. With rising sea-levels, storm surges will reach further inland particularly in low-lying regions.
Owens valley, David Maisel
The Owens River in California was diverted into the Owens valley aqueduct to bring water to the fledgling desert city of Los Angeles some two hundred miles to the south. By 1926, this lake was essentially depleted, exposing vast mineral flats and transforming a fertile valley into an
arid playa.
Owens lake, David Maisel
The minerals in the little water remaining in Owens Lake are so artificially concentrated that they fuel blooms of microscopic bacterial organisms, turning the liquid a deep, bloody red.
Katrina aftermath, Chris Jordan
Evidence suggest hurricanes are likely to become more frequent and severe with climate change, which the US contributes to in disproportionate measure through its consumer and industrial industries.
Dead landscape, Benoit Aquim
A sheep herder stands near fragile springtime grass in the aftermath of a dust storm in Wuwei, China. Chinese farmers have transformed 400,000 square kilometres of cropland and verdant prairie into new deserts. The area of desert created is equivalent to more than half the farmland in Canada.
Bath time, Malcom Hutcheson
Rizwan Sadir, a wrestler and factory worker, showers from a hand pump next to the Ravi river in Pakistan. Hand pumps are not deep enough to avoid the polluted water.
