[우리가 무슨 짓을 했는지 똑똑히 보여주는 사진들]Clear pictures of damage we have done

Have you heard about Tuvalu, the beautiful coral island nation in the Pacific Ocean?

Although it is one of the few countries not contributing to climate change, it is the one bearing the brunt. Its sea levels are continuously rising and the sea is expected to engulf the whole island within several years, leaving its 10,000 residents homeless.

They may not all be as seriously as in Tuvalu, but some serious symptoms of climate change may be spotted throughout the world.

To alert the public to the situation, the British Embassy, the Korean Cultural Centre U.K. and Daelim Contemporary Art are co-hosting the photo exhibition "Earth Alert: A Photographic Response to Climate Change."

"This exhibition couldn't be more timely. The year 2009 is pivotal for climate change. While we look at the challenge and complexity of financial events, we must also keep focused on the aim of a broad and inclusive agreement on climate change in Copenhagen in December 2009," British Ambassador Martin Uden told the press last week.

"It is essential that we come to an ambitious agreement there to prevent dangerous climate change by agreeing to national reductions in our emissions."

About 100 photos taken by 13 British and Korean photographers, including Chris De Bode and Joo Myung-duck, are on display at the exhibition.

Each photographer captured the impact of the world's climate change through their own perspective.

Among the photographers, Gerd Ludwig focuses on the damage caused to the Salton Sea in California. The British photographer captured the dreadful sight of nearly 8 million fish killed on a single hot day in August 1999. This massive fish death was due to the nutrients from agricultural runoffs that depleted the sea's oxygen.

As a veteran who has been photographing environmental issues for almost two decades, Ludwig skillfully reminds the viewers of the mankind's ability to threat its own living planet.

Robin Hammond, another British-based photographer, draws attention to the devastated inhabitants of Tuvalu.

Having no choice, some Tuvaluans are getting ready to abandon their homes and relocate to New Zealand. Hammond's capturing of children's grim faces will make viewers feel guilty.

Korean photographers Lee Sang-youp and Choi Young-jin showcase some scenes which Koreans may easily connected with.

Lee has documented the yellow dust sandstorms which affect much of East Asia during spring time. China's intensified desertification and the increase in coal powered industrial production is believed to be making the storms longer and more harmful.

The sight of the thick yellow sky above the Mao Zedong sculpture and Chinese five-star-red flag in Kashgar, China is enough to give the viewers a stuffy feeling.

Choi shows the slow destruction of the Saemangeum, an estuarine tidal flat on the coast of the Yellow Sea in Korea. A bird lies dead in his photo. Numerous plants, fish and birds are known to have perished there, not being able to adjust to the changed environment.

The exhibition runs through Aug. 23 at Daelim Contemporary Art Museum in Tongi-dong, central Seoul. The museum is closed on Mondays. Tickets are 4,000 won for adults and 2,000 won for youth. For more information, call (02) 727-0667 or visit www.daelimmuseum.org

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young