“There are no prizes for those who made these photographs a reality,”
said International Executive Director Gerd Leipold. “The images are a
graphic warning of the consequences of the global obsession with dirty
energy at the expense of communities and the environment.”
The
effects of climate change received huge attention during the past year. A record Atlantic
hurricane season
caused havoc for communities along the Caribbean coast whist the Amazon
suffered a severe drought bringing the risks associated with climate
change into stark focus.
Natasha (12) and Vadim (8). Natasha was born with microcephaly, Vadim has a bone disease and is mentally retarded.
Far less attention was focused on the lingering effects of nuclear power as we approach the twentieth anniversary of the
Chernobyl reactor meltdown
and explosion. Nuclear energy is the most dangerous means ever devised
to generate electricity. The image of Natasha and Vadim shows the
destructive power of the nuclear industry.
“The pictures are all
the more powerful, not just because of their quality, but also because
of the message they send. They are a view of the present, but also a
glimpse of what the future might look like unless action is taken now,”
said Greenpeace photo editor John Novis.
The winning images were taken by Greenpeace commissioned photographers Daniel Beltra (Amazon) and Robert Knoth (Chernobyl).
An
exhibition of Robert’s portraits of nuclear devastation in the former
Soviet Union will be launched internationally by Greenpeace in April.