Photojournalism nominees
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Title:A scarce but vital resource A Tuareg bringin water for his animals. The Tuareg are a nomadic pastoralist people that have managed to survive in the hostile desert environment of the Sahara for millennia. Over recent years however, the effects of climate change are threatening their ability to subsist. Changes in rain patterns, such as the rains coming later in the season and all rain falling at a single occasion instead of spread out over time causes great distress in this society. The changes of water availability leads to a decrease in growth and availability of plant species needed by the Tuareg's grazing animals. Many have lost their camels and herds of cows and sheep as well as seen their traditional lands destroyed. The lack of water forces the Tuareg to compete with southern farming communities for the scarce resources and this has led to tensions between the communities. The region has been called ground zero for vulnerable communities struggling to adapt to climate change and projections derived from global climate models suggest that drought conditions in the Sahel may worsen in the coming decades. While the industrial countries are negotiating climate change these marginalised people are living it's affects.
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