In the photo, Erdene Tuya, 29, hauls a lost sheep to a small burial ground close to their yurt (gher). In Mongolia's Arkhangai province, the Tsamba family struggles through harsh winters alongside their herd of sheep. Severe winter conditions, known as Dzud, have been responsible for the deaths of half the family'sonce 2,000-strong herd over the past three winters. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
This abandoned gher rises close to the Tsamba family, and it has been left by a herding family after an unbearable winter in the proximity of Ulziit village. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Erdene Tuya and her 3 year old son Tuvchinj wake up. He hugs a young sheep that sleeps with them. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
In the Arkhangai province, the Tsamba family has lost nearly 20 sheep over two cold winter days. In Mongolia's Arkhangai province, the Tsamba family lives on the edge, struggling through harsh winters alongside their herd of sheep. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
In Mongolia, half of the population live on top of each other in the capital. Half of them live in the slum, which have developed around the city. This recent environmental migration has brought with it a high level of unemployment, poverty, and inhumane social conditions. The Gher district has developed without any urban planning, running water or electricity. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
At the garbage dump, many environmental migrants find their first job in the city: collecting scrap bits and selling them for money. Asia, Mongolia, Ulan Bator. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Dyun Erdene, 26-year-old, former shepherd, sits in the tight space she shares with her family. During the Dzud they lost their 150 animals and, therefore, they decided to move to the city. She is pregnant, but her boyfriend left her and now she is alone. Her mother is an apartment guard and they are living in an overcrowded room under the staircase. Her father has been a shepherd for all his life and he is unable to find another job. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Asia, Mongolia, Arkhangai province. On the streets of Ulziit village. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Asia, Mongolia, Ulan Bator. Jigjjav family taken in the space of few meters square under the staircase where they live. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
In Mongolia half of the population live on top of each other in the capital, which has over one million, two hundred thousand citizens. Half of them live in the slum which have developed around the city. In the last 20 years, the population of the capital has doubled: this recent environmental migration has brought with it a high level of unemployment, poverty, and inhumane social conditions. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Ganbaatar Damdisuren, 50 years old and former shepherd is restricted to his bed for the last eight years. His wife Narantuya Enebish takes care of him. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
The Gher district has in fact developed without any urban planning, running water or electricity. The herdsmen, forced to abandon the rural areas, arrive in the city after a lifetime spent in the pastures, and are untrained to take on any kind of work. They end up living a life of hardship in an unfamiliar environment. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
A view of Ulan Bator over the shoulder of a slumbering drunk. Alcoholism is a huge problem in the city, home to almost half of Mongolia's people. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Due to the cyclone Aila, which hit Bangladesh in May 2009, thousands of people are still without homes. The Dacope district, which was once farmland, has now completely dried up due to the infiltration of sea water brought about by the cyclone. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
The city is considered to be the fastest-growing cities in the world. Dhaka has a population of 14 million, which is expected to increase to 50 million by 2050. Dhaka has over 300,000 newcomers entering the city each year and many of them are environmental migrants. Bangladesh, Dhaka. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Hundreds of people live in the Kawran bazar slum. She moved to Dhaka after her house was swallowed up by the river Konkso. She used to lived with her family in the village of Jainjhar Bajar where they were farmers. Today, they are struggling to live a decent life in Dhaka almost with no income. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Abdul,17, lives with his family in a small room in the slum of Baunia. They decided to emigrate to Dhaka on 2010 after the River Meghna submerged and washed away his village. His father was a fisherman, but now works as a night watchman. Abdul works in a garment factory 12 hours a day for 3000 thaka a month (around 30 euro) and no longer attends school. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Cattle farmers cutting grass for their animals on what was once an inhabited island, now submerged by the River Meghna. Bangladesh, the Ganges Delta. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Nomataz Begun cooks outside her shelter. She is living with her husband and two children beside the railroad in Kawran bazar slum. Her husband was a farmer, but they moved to Dhaka after their house was swallowed up by the Konkso river. Now her husband work as a itinerant barber. They are struggling to live a decent life with his small income. Bangladesh, Dhaka. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015 © Alessandro Grassani
Bamboo in Bangladesh is used in the construction sites as scaffolding. Their are many bamboo vendors around the city. Dhaka is considered to be the fastest-growing city in the world. Bangladesh, Dhaka. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015 © Alessandro Grassani
On the streets of Korail, the buildings of one of the wealthiest areas of the city towers over the slums. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015 © Alessandro Grassani
A view of the Kawran bazar slum where thousands of people live alongside the railway lines. They live a miserable life without running water in an unsanitary environment. Miles of slums are home to environmental migrants who live, quite literally, piled on top of each-other. Bangladesh, Dhaka. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Mr. Anisuzzaman together with some neighbors outside his home in the village of Debnagar. Here, the river has flooded its banks every year for the past nine years and the people are used to living under floodwater for five months a year. Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world with 160 million people. If global warming keeps up with this pace, 20% of the nation will be underwater. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Fazila Khatum hangs out the washing with the water up to her knees. Here, the river has flooded its banks every year for the past nine years and the people are used to living underwater for five months a year. They are frightened, as they never know how much water will come and how suddenly, but their home is here and they don’t know where else to go. Bangladesh, Satkhira district, Debnagar village. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015 © Alessandro Grassani
A football field under floodwater. Bangladesh, Satkhira district. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Bongor char has been flooded four times by the Meghna river in the last eight years, and the river has eroded two-thirds of its original size in the last three years. 600 families live on Bongor char and the inhabitants are all fishermen. Asia, Bangladesh, Ganges Delta. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
A view of the Kibera slum where many environmental migrants live, fleeing their lands because of climate changes and drought. According to a study by UNHABITAT, about 74% of environmental migrants living in Nairobi arrived between 1991 and 2008, in conjunction with the embitterment of weather conditions, drought, and floods that constantly hit Kenya’s rural areas. Kenya, Nairobi. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015.
© Alessandro Grassani
Rose, 34, works outside her mud hut in Kibera; she earns some money washing clothes for the Nairobi center. She is from the Amagoru village, one of the areas that suffered the most from the drought. She decided to immigrate to Nairobi with her husband and their six children after all her animals have died of hunger and thirst. A few months after she arrived in the Kibera slum, her husband left her. Her kids often need to pick up metal bits in the Nairobi landfills, and sell them to help their mom. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
A daily life scene in the cramped streets of the Kibera slum in Kenya. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Sharon is pensive in her iron hut in Nairobi’s Kibera slum. The drought, which year after year halved her harvest of fruit and vegetables, has forced her to abandon her village. She immigrated to the city with her two kids. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
An Ethiopian shepherd of the Marille tribe was injured during a fight with another tribe. He is being rescued by other shepherd of his own tribe and he is taken back to Ethiopia on an off-road vehicle. There are no hospitals in the area. He will probably face the amputation of his leg. Kenya, Turkana County, along the Kenyan-Ethiopian border. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Edipo, 23 years old, is a member of the Turkana tribe. He has a serious deformity caused by a night attack by the Pokot tribe. The Pokot fired and shot wildly; a lot of people died, while Edipo was mangled. Kenya, Turkana Region, Lobei Village. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
An exhausted cow is dying because of the continuous lack of rainfall; she has nothing to eat or drink. In this area, many animals die on a daily basis, and the inhabitants are plagued by fear of tribal fights over control of the limited quantity of grazing land and water supplies. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Loduung Elimlin, a shepherd from the Turkana tribe, is photographed with his machine-gun. He’s been involved in many fights with the neighbouring Pokot tribe for the control over the limited quantity of grazing land and water supplies. He’s been shot twice. Kenya, Turkana County, Lobei village. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Rose, 34, works outside her mud hut in Kibera; she earns some money washing clothes for the Nairobi center. She is from the Amagoru village, one of the areas that suffered the most from the drought. She decided to immigrate to Nairobi with her husband and their six children after all her animals have died of hunger and thirst. A few months after she arrived in the Kibera slum, her husband left her. Her kids often need to pick up metal bits in the Nairobi landfills, and sell them to help their mom. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
A drained water well in a territory, which is almost totally deserted, is the only spring of drinking water for thousands of people. Many people leave the region and immigrate to the slums of Nairobi in fear of tribal fights for the control over the limited quantity of grazing land and water supplies. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
A shepherd of the Turkana tribe carries his light machine-gun, looking for grazing land for his flock. Kenya, Turkana County. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
Rukia, 28 years old, rests in bed in her hut in the Kibera slum.
Rukia has been living in Kibera since she emigrated from the Turkana region because of weather changes and drought. With the passing of years, the droughts grew worse, the animal herds halved, and tribal fights increased. Kenya, Nairobi. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
A mass grave where catholic priests of the Saint Paul Mission have buried about a hundred victims of tribal fights for the control over grazing land and water supplies around the Todenyang village. On the cross a notice that says “28 people”: it indicates the number of people that have been buried and that have died in the course of a single ferocious fight. Kenya, Turkana Region. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani
These villages’ inhabitants are exhausted by the continuous lack of rainfall; they have nothing to eat or drink. Elders and children are those who suffer the most from famine, and risk dying due to their poverty. A man struggles to stand and the signs of famine are visible on his skeletal body. Seis village, along the Kenyan-Ethiopian border. Finalist, LensCulture Earth Awards 2015. © Alessandro Grassani