Guillame Collanges / Argos Collective, French
Coral Reef in the Maldives, 2005
As rising sea levels threaten the habitability of the Maldives, residents are forced to wonder where they will relocate when the sea levels inevitably overtake their homes. Across the globe, climate change has forced many who live in developing areas to seek refuge in other nations. However, these nations are often the largest contributors to the climate change that forces the immigration to begin with and seemingly ignore the connection between their contributions to climate change and the increasing immigration and refugee rates. This image depicts the beautiful coral reefs of the Maldives, but just above the water is home. The position of the house has it appearing to be built directly on top of the reef of the ocean, which, while untrue, highlights the increasingly precarious nature of living in such an environment. One small ripple occurring as this photo was taken would cause the home to appear to disappear under the surface of the water. This image demonstrates the impending overtaking of the water, as well as the human cost of rising sea levels. It is not just an island being overtaken by water, this is a home to many that is being swallowed by the sea as a result of the shoddy environmental decision making on behalf of large nations around the globe. Label by Gwyneth McCrae