Portraits of climate migrants that resemble identification cards and passports, which are important for migrants who have lost their hometowns, communities, or families. This large number of portraits depicts the faces of climate migrants, who exist beyond statistical figures.
A woman returns from fetching water at a public water pond. Many women and girls perform this task many times a day as part of their daily routine in Gabura Union because fresh water is scarce near almost all their homes due to salinity intrusion. Access to fresh water has become increasingly difficult for residents of Gabura Union because of rising salinity in water resources, driven by frequent and intense storm surges and floods.
An elderly man carries a lot of jute on his head. Depopulation and an aging workforce, driven by the influx of younger generations into urban areas linked to climate change, have become new problems in rural Bangladesh.
The desolate landscape of the inland of Gabura Union. This area used to be a rice field spread as far as the eye could see during the rainy season; however, it has now transitioned to shrimp farms throughout the year, due to severe salinity intrusion. Salinity intrusion from storm surges, floods, or rising water levels into soil and water resources makes it nearly impossible to cultivate crops such as rice and vegetables in these areas. People who rely on agricultural production for their daily livelihoods have been most affected by these conditions.
Construction laborers flatten the road along the riverbank to prepare for sandbagging. Those sandbags are often swept away by storm surges from cyclones and by river erosion. Nevertheless, residents repair or sandbag again and again to protect their families and their land from natural disasters.
AA fisherwoman catches small fish and shrimp near the sandbags, which are soaked with water. The sandbags, constructed to protect residents from natural disasters, storm surges, floods, and rising sea levels, have already failed to fulfill their role because they have gradually been submerged as water levels rise and cyclones become more frequent and intense.
Children play around an abandoned house that was severely damaged by Cyclone Aila in 2009. The number of such houses has gradually increased in the Gabura Union, as residents evacuate in increasing numbers due to the severe impacts of devastating natural disasters.
A young herdsman tends to undernourished cattle in Sylhet. It is difficult to find grass for fodder because this region is flood-prone, and many grass fields are frequently submerged. A massive flash flood occurred in 2022, severely affecting 7.2 million people across 9 districts in Bangladesh, including Sylhet.
Two women are walking across sandbags piled up. Sandbags are often stacked on some riverbanks of the island because the road along the river often collapses due to rising water levels, river erosion, and storm surges in Gabura Union. However, individuals must travel on foot, as it is challenging to operate vehicles on the sandbags.
A young boy slowly rows a wooden boat among mangrove trees. These mangrove trees, as natural seawalls, once protected the community and land from natural disasters; however, they have gradually declined due to rising sea levels, the increasing frequency of storm surges, and reckless deforestation for building materials or fuelwood. As a result, increasing damage from natural disasters and worsening living conditions encourage residents to migrate from this area to urban areas.
Women wait for a boat on the eroded riverbank in Sylhet. In recent years, river erosion has worsened due to rising water levels from melting Himalayan glaciers, the increasing frequency of floods driven by extreme weather, and intensified monsoon rainfall driven by global warming. In addition, the vulnerability of soil and river characteristics are also drivers. Therefore, river erosion is a significant and familiar problem for many residents of Bangladesh, which has many rivers, and is one of the main drivers of internal migration.
Fishermen on the Kholpetua River, which surrounds Gabura Union. The fishing industry in Gabura Union is one of the sectors affected by climate change, including rising sea surface temperatures, increased natural disasters, and exacerbated salinity intrusion. Some fishermen have already left this area with their families and migrated to urban areas such as Khulna and Dhaka to seek new jobs and a better life.
Children play among the rubble in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Fung-wong (also referred to as Uwan). Super Typhoon Fung-wong struck Catanduanes Island on November 9, 2025, bringing destructive winds, heavy rainfall, landslides, and widespread flooding, causing catastrophic damage throughout the province. As a result, more than 25,000 homes were destroyed, and approximately 230,000 residents were affected.
A man who watches a movie among the rubble in the tiny light at dusk in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Fung-wong (also referred to as Uwan) on Catanduanes Island. The island was among the most severely affected areas and suffered significant economic losses in the infrastructure and agriculture sectors. Despite more than 10 days having passed since the typhoon, some towns and cities on Catanduanes still have limited electricity and internet connectivity due to the slow pace of infrastructure recovery.
Men are sea bathing near the breakwater under construction on Bohol Island. The island was damaged by Super Typhoon Rai (also referred to as Odette) in 2021. This area is frequently affected by weather-related hazards, including storm surges, cyclones, and floods.
The boys play around a ramshackle house on Batasan Island in the Philippines. Batasan Island is one of the areas most affected by sea level rise and land subsidence, and it is projected to sink into the sea in the near future. The house was damaged by the 2013 earthquake and by Super Typhoon Rai (also referred to as Odette) in 2021.
The family has a peaceful time near the barricade that is under construction to protect residents from high waves in Bohol Island, the Philippines. This area was one of the most damaged places by Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) in 2021. Above all, some people living in coastal zones have lost their houses and property and have been forced to leave their hometowns.
The scenery of daily life in Timbulsloko. The village has been gradually sinking by up to 20 centimeters annually due to rising sea levels and frequent storm surges. Despite the village being located in the fastest-sinking area in Indonesia, and villagers bearing the brunt of the emergency, they manage to keep their homes in various ways, such as raising houses and installing wooden decks.
Waves crash against the abandoned houses. All residents have evacuated the village, which has been gradually sinking into the sea due to the significant effects of rising sea levels. Pekalongan is one of the regions experiencing the most rapid subsidence, with an average sinking rate of up to 22 centimeters annually. These houses may be images of the future of Indonesia's coastal areas, where conditions continue to worsen due to rapid subsidence.
Excavators are pumping groundwater to address the water shortage caused by rapid urbanization. One-third of Jakarta is likely to be submerged by 2050 due to subsidence from excessive groundwater extraction and rising sea levels.
Young boys are relaxing on the seawall in North Jakarta, near an abandoned mosque already submerged by rising sea levels. This area is a popular spot for young Indonesians. Jakarta is recognized as the world's fastest-sinking city, with parts subsiding by 10-25 cm annually due to excessive groundwater extraction, rapid development, and rising sea levels, threatening to submerge large areas by 2050. Therefore, the relocation from Jakarta to Nusantara, the new capital, has already begun.
A young boy watches a movie in a hammock inside an inundated house in Binuangan, on the outskirts of Manila. This area is severely impacted by climate change, primarily through rising sea levels and flooding that frequently reaches waist-high levels, submerging homes and forcing residents to live on higher ground or elevated walkways. Manila, one of the most critically affected cities in the Philippines by rising sea levels caused by global warming and subsidence caused by excessive groundwater pumping linked to rapid population growth and industrialization, is projected to sink into Manila Bay in the near future.
A climate migrant boy who evacuated from the south coastal area due to river erosion sleeps in the bush near Dhaka station, Bangladesh. Dhaka is one of the most overpopulated cities and has many orphans from rural areas for various climate change reasons. Some orphans stay overnight in places such as stations, ferry terminals, roadsides, or under elevated tracks without anyone’s protection.
A young climate migrant boy who has lost his home in the southern coastal region due to a landslide caused by river erosion lives beneath the station passageway. No one pays attention to him because of the frequent scenes around the Dhaka station, where many homeless people and migrants live to make a living daily through begging or transporting, or to protect themselves from the rainstorm.
Climate migrant boys who inhale thinner on the roadside. They live on the roadside and make a living by begging and carrying luggage on Dhaka's roads. Therefore, they are constantly in danger of drug addiction, abuse by other homeless people, or traffic accidents.
A mother, a climate migrant from Bhola Island, is caring for her baby in a muggy, narrow, dimly lit room in the Jhilpar slum. Many migrants, mainly from southern coastal areas such as Bhola, Barishal, and Kuakata, reside in this slum. Many migrants tend to gather to rely on the presence of individuals from the same hometowns, communities, or their own family members who have previously migrated to Dhaka.
A man engaged in waste collection at a dump site on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Some climate migrants participate in such manual labor or in the manufacturing sector to obtain their daily income; however, they are occasionally subject to exploitation in illegal, low-wage employment.
Young climate migrant boys collect smartphone cases near the Kalshi slum in Dhaka to sell as an additional source of household income. These cases are marketed at prices ranging from approximately 20 to 70 taka, depending on their condition. Smartphone cases are readily available for boys because they are frequently discarded in various locations and can also be easily sold due to the increasing smartphone penetration rate accompanying rapid urbanization.
The boys play on garbage floating on the river by the Korail slum, Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 2024. More than 200,000 residents have lived in this slum, and many climate migrants who migrated from various areas such as Barisal, Bhola, Kuakata, or Chandpur to seek a stable, safe, and secure life are leading a life permanently or temporarily without an adequate subsidy from the government.
Children living in the Ger district of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital, are playing around a car before sunset. Severe climate change and extreme winter (dzud) are driving mass rural-to-urban migration. Between 1990 and 2025, over 818,000 individuals migrated from rural areas to Ulaanbaatar, which accounts for nearly half of the capital's total population. Over 60% of these urban migrants reside in informal ger districts, and they face severe, interconnected problems such as extreme toxic air and soil pollution from coal heating, lack of central water and sanitation, and poor transport connectivity.
The nighttime scenery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Severe climate change and extreme winters (dzud) are driving mass rural-to-urban migration. Between 1990 and 2025, over 818,000 individuals migrated from rural areas to Ulaanbaatar, which accounts for nearly half of the capital's total population. Over 60% of these urban migrants reside in informal ger districts, and they face severe, interconnected problems such as extreme toxic air and soil pollution from coal heating, lack of central water and sanitation, and poor transport connectivity.
This project aims to depict the stories of human migration worldwide driven by the climate crisis that has been worsening since the beginning the 21th century through two photographic methods that photo story that captures changes of lives of people under the climate crisis before migration, and facing various regarding social and economic challenges after migration, moreover numerous portraits of climate migrants that aims to shed light on the existence of them beyond statistical numbers that tend to perceive as just a number.
According to the World Bank, as many as 216 million people across six world regions may be forced to migrate by 2050 due to the impacts of climate change.
In South Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, approximately 89 million people are projected to be forced to leave their hometowns because of the increasing severity and frequency of typhoons and floods, as well as the rapid rise in sea levels.
Many of them are heading to urban centers in pursuit of employment opportunities, better education, or rely on family and other community members who have previously migrated.
Such an influx of migrants significantly accelerates urbanization, leading to housing shortages, slum formation, inadequate infrastructure and resources, ground subsidence, and environmental pollution.
For example, in Bangladesh, where 17% of the land is at risk of submersion and 20 million people are at risk of losing their homes, a huge number of climate migrants have already migrated to the capital, Dhaka, and live under footbridges, along roadsides, or in slums with poor living conditions.
Since the Industrial Revolution, mass consumption of fossil fuels and deforestation have significantly increased carbon dioxide concentrations, thereby accelerating global warming.
According to the latest UNEP report, if current measures remain ineffective, the global average temperature is projected to rise by up to 2.8°C by the end of the 21st century relative to pre-Industrial Revolution levels, well above the 1.5 °C target set by the Paris Agreement.
That figure indicates an increasing possibility of decline in habitable areas for humanity and an increased likelihood of climate migration worldwide.
Climate migration is not just a problem for someone else living in distant places; the groundswell will continue to spread worldwide, engulfing all of humanity in the future.
Shunta Kimura