The river near my hometown in Iran has had a special connection to my teenage mind, and I even shot my first photos there. However, its drying out over the last decade has caused me sadness. When I look at my country, I see that this river is not the only place that has fallen victim to the changing climate; there are many ponds, lakes, and green plains that have been affected by the recent drought and are being completely eradicated. In a project that I started in 2016 with the help of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, I traveled to many parts of Iran to document the effects of climate change. I captured photos of a country that, according to data provided by NASA, will render 35 percent of its currently inhabitable places unsuitable for life within 20 years. This country ranks fifth in the world in terms of greenhouse gas production. I met people whose lives have been greatly affected by climate change. Most of them live in remote villages where there is nobody to help them, and they must face this problem on their own. I encountered landscapes that were once habitats for many species, lakes that were once a source of livelihood for fishermen, and ponds that had beautiful scenes to enjoy. However, all of them have now transformed into vast, dried, barren lands that remind me of apocalyptic movie scenes.
