Photographer Shunta Kimura is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography. From the project ‘Living in the Transition – Bangladesh’. To see Shunta ’s body of work, click on any photograph.

“Living in the Transition” is a photo story of the relationships between the lives of the people in Bangladesh, changing rivers, and lost land caused by the imbalance of climate change’s impacts and rapid economic growth’s effects.

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change.

For example, many people often suffer tremendous damage from natural disasters such as intense floods and tropical cyclones in the rainy season due to geographical and topographical factors, and drought during the dry season due to precipitation deficit and uneven rainfall areas.

View of an inland of Gabura Union. It makes near impossible to grow any plants such place due to salinity intrusion

A woman who engages in fishing by the sandgabs soaked in the Kholpetua River. These sandbas have already lost role as a shield to protect from natural disasters.

Other issues are the loss of land due to river erosion and landslides caused by rising water levels, destruction of roads and other subsistence infrastructure, health hazards caused by salt water carried by typhoons and floods entering soil and water resources, the decline of crops and seafood, changes in ecosystems, and forest fire caused by rising temperature.

Population density is increasing with the flex of environmental refugees into urban areas, and on the other hand, depopulation is progressing in the countryside.

Therefore, many Bangladeshi people have been inflicted with severe and long-term burdens physically, mentally, or economically, and they have remained left behind in the transition without the benefits of economic growth.

Nonetheless, they are leading a peaceful life in the transition of life environment while being at the mercy of the changing rivers and decrease in the land.

I attempt to indicate one of the aspects of the climate crisis through photographs that capture a peaceful and slow-tempo image and everyday life in which there is anywhere instead of dramatic moments and disastrous scenes to visualize such people’s resilience and adaptability to daily life that have gradually and slowly changed.

This photo story will be one of the catalysts for more understanding of what is happening in the corner of this world that is at the forefront of climate change, how these effects are changing people’s lives, and how those people coexist with climate change.

Shunta Kimura is a documentary photographer and visual storyteller based in Japan. 
After graduating from Nippon Photography Institute, he started his career as a freelance photographer. 
He aims to depict the strength of humans who live under any circumstance through his eyes.

He has recently focused on the people who live in the transition of life environment caused by the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh. 
In addition, he also undertakes some other projects like the problem of conflict-related sexual violence against men, boys, and LGBTIQ+ persons, and the effects of earthquakes in Turkey and Syria on the life of the people as a long-term project. 

His ongoing project "Living in the Transition" was awarded SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2022, PROFESSIONAL COMPETITION, ENVIRONMENT CATEGORY 1st PLACE, INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2022, PROFESSIONAL, ENVIRONMENT CATEGORY 3rd PLACE, and PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2022 PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT CATEGORY SILVER etc.

All images and text © Shunta Kimura