Covid, Adani, Global Climate Catastrophe … CNN and Me …

… great to be part of a massive Covid-19 story of global importance just published on CNN.

The story entitled ‘The One Chance We Have’ delves into the story of how … during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent confusion and devastation of the global economy … fossil fuel producing countries are injecting taxpayer money into propping up polluting industries that are hastening an earlier climate catastrophe. 

The story uses vignettes from four fossil fuel producing countries … Canada, Poland, Australia and India … to substantiate the premise that ‘The pandemic gave the world a golden opportunity to fix the climate crisis. We’re about to waste it.’

My work appears in the ‘India’ segment … and comprises six of the images I made just on a year ago in Chhattisgarh … set amongst a lengthy story (somewhat based on my original words but ‘updated’) on the destruction of the Hasdeo Arand forest and the Gond tribal population by Indian mining giant Adani hand in hand with Modi’s government.

My images and words from Chhattisgarh have previously been published in The Guardian (here and here), in Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera (here) and elsewhere.  Very gratifying to see the work picked up again.

I must stress that this current story on CNN is a great and incredibly important piece of journalism and is well worth a look (at the images) and a good long read. Please do … there is far too much in the story to go into here and the implications for the future of the planet are chilling. 

I’m joined pictorially in the piece (in the ‘Australian’ section of the story) by Aussie based colleagues David Maurice Smith and Matthew Abbott. Hi Guys !

Thanks CNN for the important story and for using my work to help illustrate it. Thanks yet again to my fixer/friend Srienivas Akella from Mumbai … brilliant travelling with you.

Below … images (3 of my 6) © Brian Cassey … from the CNN story ‘The One Chance We Have’.

CNN story 'The One Chance We Have' on Covid-19 pandemic hastening a global climate catastrophe - images by Brian Cassey

CNN story 'The One Chance We Have' on Covid-19 pandemic hastening a global climate catastrophe - images by Brian Cassey

Honorary Canadian at Para Pan Pacific Games …

Born in England, live in Australia … so have never thought I would be considered ‘Canadian’.

However, I found myself part of the wonderful Canadian paralympic swim team last week … in the role of team photographer … at the 2018 Pan Pacific Para Games over five days in Cairns. I was presented … and wore … the tee shirt emblazoned with a large red maple leaf to prove it.

The Canadian team is full of charming characters and great competitors and it was a delight to watch and photograph their combined efforts against teams from the United States, Japan, India, Brazil, Costa Rica, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. The Canadians collected forty medals, twenty four personal best times … and one World record to Aurelie Rivard in the 400 metre freestyle S10 …  over the championships.

It was an uplifting, sobering and emotional few days … and brilliant to be involved with so many true athletes and watch the wonderful camaraderie between nations and competitors.

Arguably, however, the most emotionally charged images I made were quick grabs … whilst the Canadians were not swimming … of Japanese swimmers Tomotaro Nakamura and Takayuki Suzuki.

I had just finished photographing Aurelie Rivard win another medal when I noticed Nakamura mount the starting block for his 50 metre freestyle final … and look skyward as if to steel himself as the light bathed him. Just made a couple of frames before the moment was over. The image of Suzuki was made at the moment he lost contact with his starting block during his heat swim.

Below, © Brian Cassey, are the images of Nakamura (top), Suzuki (middle) … and Canadian Aurelie Rivard during her World record swim (bottom).

 

Pan Pacific Para Games - Tomotaro Nakamura - image by Brian Cassey

Pan Pacific Para Games - Takayuki Suzuki - image by Brian Cassey

Pan Pacific Para Games - Aurelie Rivard - World record 400 metre freestyle - image by Brian Cassey