![Women stand on top of the Dhapa landfill, the destination for much of Kolkata's solid waste over the past 30 years. It is estimated that only 10 percent of Kolkata's waste is recycled, contributing to the growing problem of waste that is sitting just a couple of kilometers from the city's downtown area. Image by Sean Gallagher. India, 2013. Media file: kolkata.jpg](/sites/default/files/03-10-14/kolkata.jpg)
On Thursday, March 27, award-winning British photojournalist Sean Gallagher speaks on his multiple Pulitzer Center-supported reporting projects focused on the environment and public health in Asia, including his latest work out of India.
Gallagher's starting point in India is the country's rapid growth and breakneck development over the past 30 years juxtaposed against the extensive pollution from a range of industries. Chromium contamination, lead pollution and pesticide poisoning are leaving a toxic trail in rural and urban areas alike for the environment and the public. Millions are poisoned and killed each year; others have reduced neurological development, damaged immune systems, and long-term health problems. The number of people affected is comparable to those affected by HIV/AIDS, according to the Blacksmith Institute, a non-profit that studies solutions to problems caused by toxic pollution. Gallagher's short documentary on the subject screens at the 2014 Environmental Film Festival of the Nation's Capital on Tuesday, March 25.
Gallagher also focuses his lens on environmental issues in China, where he is based. He has undertaken a multi-part series on climate change in the region, considering issues of disappearing wetlands, fragile forests and desertification. The Pulitzer Center produced with Gallagher Meltdown, an ebook using beautiful images, engaging storytelling and other multimedia elements as a way to make sense of the enormous scale of China's environmental problems.
Thursday, March 27
12-1 pm
George Mason University
Edwin Meese III Conference Room
Mason Hall D023
Fairfax, VA
The event is sponsored by the Pulitzer Center and George Mason University Department of Communication, Society of Professional Journalists,
and Student Media.
- Document
![Image by Sean Gallagher. India, 2013.](/sites/default/files/11-25-13/india-pollution.jpg)
Pollution in India is a hidden problem with catastrophic consequences affecting rural and urban...
![Receding waterlines Receding waterlines](/sites/default/files/1163-1.jpg)
Project
China’s Disappearing Wetlands
China has more wetlands than any country in Asia, and 10 percent of the global total. They are...
![A sandstorm encapsulates a mock castle in the desert tourist park of Shapotou in Ningxia Province. The park is situated on the edges of the Tengger desert hence is regularly bombarded by sandstorms. 1](/sites/default/files/1594.jpg)
Project
Desertification in China
Desertification is one of the most important environmental challenges facing the world today...