Environmental photographer of the year 2021 – in pictures

Environmental photographer of the year: The Rising Tide Sons – Togo, West Africa, 2019

A child sleeps on the floor of his house about to collapse, destroyed by coastal erosion on Afidegnigba beach. Sea levels off the coast of Togo and other West African countries continue to rise and swallow up everything in their path, affecting more than 4,900 miles (8,000km) of seacoast in 13 West African countries. Rising sea levels are forcing the ocean floor to readjust by removing sediment from the coast, washing it away from the shore

Young environmental photographer of the year – Nikon award: Inferno, New Delhi, India

A boy fighting fires in a forest near his home in Yamuna Ghat, New Delhi, India. According to locals, forest fires caused by human activity in the area are a common occurrence due to adverse living conditions

Winner – water and security: Green Barrier, West Bengal, India, 2021

Irregular monsoon seasons and droughts cause algal bloom on the Damodar river. Algal blooms prevent light from penetrating the surface and prevent oxygen absorption by the organisms beneath, impacting human health and habitats in the area

Winner – climate action: The Last breath, Nairobi, Kenya

A young boy holding a tree seedling with one of its leaves wrapped on a polythene bag, a straw comes out seemingly from his nostrils to the bag as though is giving it air. He is in an unhealthy atmosphere as a sandstorm brews behind. It is up to us to give rise to trees which are water catchment areas by nurturing their seedlings and planting them, in doing so, they help stop climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing the carbon in trees and soil, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere

Winner – sustainable cities: Net-zero transition

A photobioreactor at Algalif facilities in Reykjanesbaer, Iceland. Algalif plant produces sustainable astaxanthin from micro-algae using 100% clean geothermal energy. In the starvation phase, the algae culture is exposed to UV light to cause stress conditions and induce astaxanthin synthesis. The proprietary lighting system enables Algalif to reduce overall energy consumption by 50%, in addition to providing for optimal microalgae growth, productivity and yield

Winner – The Resilient award: Survive for Alive – Noakhali, Bangladesh, 2021

Flocks of sheep search for grass amongst the cracked soil. Extreme droughts in Bangladesh have created hardship for all living beings

Shortlisted: Arhhangelsk region, Russia, March 2021

Researchers weigh an anaesthetised Polar bear on Franz Josef Land in the Arctic Ocean during the Umka 2021 expedition organised by the Russian Geographical Society. Taking part in the expedition are experts from Russian Arctic National Park, the NN Zubov State Oceanographic Institute, and institutes and research centres of the Russian Academy of Sciences: the Geophysical Survey Federal Research Centre, the Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, the AN Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, and the Melnikov Permafrost Institute

Shortlisted: Seeking pure drinking water, Khulna, Bangladesh

Women search for water in Shora-9 of Gabura union in Satkhira. Over a decade after cyclone Aila, freshwater ponds and wells have become increasingly saline. Women are traditionally responsible for collecting water and make multiple trips over longer distances to supply their families

Shortlisted: Polluted Buriganga River, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2021

A busy polluted waterway on Buriganga River is filled with boats and their passengers on the morning work commute to the densely populated city of Dhaka, home to an estimated 21 million people

Shortlisted: Jute grown in the Ganges Delta, West Bengal, India, 2021

Jute is a sustainable alternative to plastic with a low cost of production. The government in India is supporting development of the jute sector

Shortlisted : The polygonal forest, Sierra de Bejar, Salamanca, Spain, 2019

Chestnut forests are managed sustainably by felling trees in polygonal zones leaving uncut areas in the middle, which aid natural reforestation

Shortlisted: Drying incense, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2019

Workers sit surrounded by bundles of incense sticks in Quang Phu Cau village in Hanoi, Vietnam. Incense has been made using traditional methods here for hundreds of years and plays an important role in the spiritual lives of Vietnamese people

Shortlisted: Confined in Plastic, Chittagong, Bangladesh, 2021

A child sits on a ladder in a plastic bottle recycling factory in Bangladesh. PET recycling in Bangladesh is a growing industry, however collection and sorting are predominantly done by hand

Shortlisted: Hooked Pup – Coronado Islands, Mexico 2020

A California sea lion pup with a hook embedded in his mouth follows the diver and seems to be asking for help

Shortlisted: Marine pollution from aquaculture, 2020, Vietnam

Aquaculture from ponds near the beach discharge directly into the sea and cause pollution to the marine environment.

Shortlisted: Cathedral in the desert, Lake Powell, Utah, US, 2021

Originally named for its natural resemblance to a cathedral, the monument has been buried nearly 100 feet under the flood-waters of the Lake Powell reservoir since 1963. Droughts reduced the water level in 2021 enabling this image of Reflection Canyon

Shortlisted: Dry fish harvesting, Sirajganj, Bangladesh, 2020

Dry fish terraces cover vast areas of the Sirajganj district. Dry fish production is the primary source of employment for many rural families near the Chalan Beel, which is under threat due to anthropogenic environmental impacts

Shortlisted: Nemo’s Garden, Noli, Italy, 2021

Nemo’s Garden represents an alternative system of agriculture especially dedicated to those areas where environmental conditions or geo-morphological reasons make plants growth extremely difficult. This completely self-sustainable project aims at making underwater farming a viable eco-friendly solution to counteract the increasing climate change pressures on our future

Shortlisted: Clean energy, Serra de Sao Macario, Portugal, 2021

Wind turbines on the mountaintops are captured moments before sunset on a cloudy day

Shortlisted: The Life: A narrow strip, Rio Tinto, Huelva, Spain

A narrow strip of road divides ochre-coloured and fresh waters. Trees wait on the fresh side of the road opposite the toxic waters of a nearby mine reservoir

Shortlisted: The Valley of the Mud – Surya, Crimean Peninsula, 2020