Featuring shots of elephants reduced to eating garbage in Sri Lanka and of plastic pollution in Vietnam, the shortlist for the annual Earth Photo competition has been announced.
The aims to draw attention to the extensive challenges facing our planet. Nearly 2000 images were submitted to this year鈥檚 competition, with 31 photographers and more than 100 images making the shortlist, six of which are shown here.
Damith Osuranga Danthanarayana鈥檚 powerful image, above, taken in Ampara, Sri Lanka, shows elephants forced to eat garbage due to the lack of effective waste management. 鈥淲aste accumulation near forests lures elephants, and other animals, away from their natural habitats, jeopardising their safety,鈥� said Danthanarayana in an announcement about the shortlist. 鈥淚mmediate action is crucial to protect both wildlife and communities.鈥�
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Alex Cao takes vibrant aerial images within his home region of Quang Ngai Province in central Vietnam, focusing on the impacts of climate change for vulnerable communities along the country鈥檚 coast. Shown above is his shot of boats surrounded by plastic pollution. Another of Cao鈥檚 shortlisted images, below, features two houses in the shape of a heart in a river.
On the smaller end of the scale is Elizabeth Woodger鈥檚 striking, colourful image of lichens growing in temperate rainforests in Exmoor, UK, below. Woodger gathers fallen lichens and soaks them in crystal-growing fluids. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an artistic experiment and allegory that shows how human activities are changing the natural world,鈥� she says.
Rob Kesseler鈥檚 microscopic view of a chicory pollen grain, below, reveals airborne pollutant particles using data gathered from an X-ray spectrometer.
Finally, Markel Redondo鈥檚 Playa Babilonia, below, features a man walking on a beach in Guardamar del Segura, Spain. Part of Redondo鈥檚 Dry Horizons series, it highlights the reality of water drought in Spain, where the sea level is also rising year by year.
Images were judged by a panel that included 快猫短视频鈥檚 picture editor, Tim Boddy, and head of editorial video, David Stock. Thirteen films have also been shortlisted for the award. The full range of shortlisted entries can be seen at the , opening at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London on 18 June until 21 August 2024. Winners of the Earth Photo competition, which is co-directed by the Royal Society (with IBG), Forestry England and Parker Harris, will be announced on 17 June.
