I stumbled upon this image by Australian photojournalist Brook Mitchell while reading an article outlining the effects of climate change and how we are negatively impacting the environment, ‘humans have been influencing global patterns of drought for nearly a century’. Brook Mitchell captures the effects of global warming in Australia as the increased temperature leads to severe bushfire’s and drought. I chose this image as I was struck by its’s raw portrayal of the consequences of climate change, we see a child playing with the bones of an animal that died due to drought, It is a harsh reality that the innocence of the future generation is already tainted, highlighting the importance of sustainable living by showing the reality of ignoring it. This disturbing image should evoke a feeling of guilt in the viewer, it is the actions of humanity that have cursed the land and its inhabitants, it urges us to take action. We are shown life and death, the past and the future, a last man standing reminding us what we have already started to lose. Typically an image of a child playing would be full of bright colours, instead this photo has a sombre colour pallet, hinting at a reality where there is no room for the joy we once experienced. there is no live animal for the child to play with, and barren land stretches in the background, painting a lonely picture.
Research and references:
Oxford Languages and Google – English | Oxford Languages (oup.com)