The Climate Talk
Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, Bangladesh
Mohammad Rakibul Hasan is a Bangladeshi documentary photographer, filmmaker, and visual journalist with over two decades of experience documenting climate change, migration, labor rights, and marginalized communities for outlets like Thomson Reuters Foundation and Al Jazeera. He has also collaborated with organizations like UN Women and the World Bank, creating impactful visuals focused on human dignity and social impact. Hasan’s education spans institutions worldwide, including the International Center of Photography in New York and Oxford University, and he is recognized with awards such as the Lucie Award and the One World Media Award.
Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, stands on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers and is one of the frontlines of the climate crisis. Though Bangladesh contributes little to global emissions, its coastal communities face rising seas, cyclones, salinity, erosion, and shrinking livelihoods. Climate negotiations such as COP climate talks have raised awareness, but progress has often been slow because of weak commitments, disputes over fossil fuels, delayed climate finance, and gaps between promises and action. In the Sundarbans, farmers lose crops to saltwater intrusion, fishers face declining catches, and honey collectors enter dangerous forests with fewer resources. Women and children suffer from malnutrition, unsafe drinking water, and health risks linked to salinity and poor services. Scientists warn large areas could be submerged by 2100, forcing displacement and deepening environmental injustice.