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Conflicts and Water issues
Water is a precious resource and its value will constantly increase as time passes. Unfortunately, many of the world rivers face daunting challenges and many countries are fighting over water rich territories. Most conflicts and water issues involve Transboundary Rivers.
In an effort to increase awareness of these global water issues, photographer Franck Vogel has created a multi-faceted photography project focusing on eight major rivers, each with its own specific set of problems. He started investigating on the Nile and its controversial Millennium Dam project in 2012. He then continued with features on the Brahmaputra, the Colorado, the Jordan, the Mekong, the Ganges, the Zambezi and lately in 2019 the Danube.
TRANSBOUNDARY RIVERS
La Martinière Publishing
256 pages - 12,4'' x 9,8''
Released in Sept 2016
Sponsors:
The images are displayed in exhibitions, magazines and websites ; featured in lectures given by Franck Vogel (Columbia University, the Earth Institute, Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, Sciences Po Paris, ESSEC Business School, ESCP Europe and other top universities supported by Fondation Iris, at COP22 in Marrakesh with French Academician Erik Orsenna, as well as companies or banks like Pictet) and published in books, including a two-volume set to be released in 2016 and 2018.
"As Jacques Cousteau’s successor at the French Academy, I was deeply touched by Franck Vogel’s photographs and his wonderful book on Transboundary Rivers. Besides his committed work, he is a great storyteller and knows how to engage with his audience." -Erik Orsenna
The first volume has been recommended by National Geographic, TF1, RTL, Le Monde, L'Obs, France Info TV, France Culture, La Vie, RFI, La Gazette Drouot, Télérama.
BBC World News : Live interview April 19, 2016 on Transboundary Rivers with anchor Rico Hizon.
The first volume "Fleuves Frontières" (Transboundary Rivers) has been released by French publisher Edition de La Martinière and features four rivers (Nile, Brahmaputra, Colorado and Jordan Rivers), amazing maps, figures and texts, 228 photos, 264 pages and 2kg to understand a bit more about water issues. The book is now only available in French and a second one in planned in English by 2021.
Preview of the book Fleuves Frontières (Transboundary Rivers). Discover the first pages from the Colorado River chapter and the preface by Gilles Boeuf, biologist and biodiversity specialist, professor at Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University in Paris, former president of the National Museum of Natural History, Scientific advisor to Ségolène Royale, French Minister of Environment.
Symbol of Europe, the Danube river went through crises but over time and the European construction it has become a link between poor and rich countries, as well as an example of cooperation.
The Zambezi is one of the last unnavigable wild rivers and it might face pollution from a new copper mine planned inside the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia.
The Ganges is India’s most sacred river, but also the most polluted. Millions of Hindus live from its water, bath in it and conclude their lives on the riverbanks. At the same time, settlements and companies dump their waste into it.
It took the Mekong River thousands of years to create its delta in Vietnam and it never failed to feed the population. Today the river is in danger: the Mekong delta is sinking and fish migration is blocked because of the new mega dams.
Holy for half Humankind, the Jordan River remains nowadays a dirty and polluted stream. Most of its water has been diverted for farming and cities in Israel and Jordan.
The Colorado is the vital artery of the American Southwest but is also the only river in the world that no longer flows into the ocean.
With little to no concern for environmental risks or local population, China and India are engaged in a hydro-dam construction race on the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, in efforts to generate substantial amounts of electricity.
For centuries, Nile water access has been one of Egypt’s major concerns and the country won’t hesitate to go to war to preserve it. One reason for the 25-year civil war in the Sudan is due to the Nile, and the new Millenium Dam constructed by Ethiopia, which is sure to increase tensions.
First part of Franck Vogel's talk on Water - ESCP Europe, Allianz Forum, Berlin 2019
With Franck, the pictures and the speech combine effectively to better captivate the audience. He awakens us by revealing the tragic destiny of great rivers, and sends us back to our deepest contradictions. - Hervé Thiard, director France & Belux, Pictet Asset Management
- SAUR (World Water Day 2023): Live webconference for 12,000 employees worldwide
- Lions Clubs International (May 29, 2021 - Marseille) : Webconference at the National Convention
- Terres d'Aventure (Feb 4, 2021 - Paris) : Live webconference
- Pictet Asset Managment (Oct 1, 2019 - Paris) : Talk on Water and River issues.
- Artelia (March 28, 2019 - Grenoble, France) : Talk on Water and River issues.
- Fondation Iris supports my awareness talks on Water for students from Top French Universities (AgroParisTech, ESCP, Sciences Po Paris, ESSEC Business School...)
- Crédit Agricole Bank HQ (Oct 25, 2018 - Saint-Brieuc, France) : Talk for 200
entrepreneurs on Transboundary Rivers' project.
- Fondation Goodplanet (March 25, 2018 - Paris) : Talk on the Colorado River.
- Gardens by the Bay, VOILAH! French Festival (April 16, 2016, Singapore) : Talk on Transboundary Rivers' project.
- Columbia University (Oct 29, 2015 - New York) : Talk at the Maison Française about the Transboundary Rivers' project with the Columbia Earth Institute and the Water Center.
- National Marine Museum (Nov 26, 2013 - Paris) : Talk on the Nile for the company Sopra Steria.
Colorado Exhibition at Pavillon de l'Eau in Paris (30 May 2016 - 31 March 2017) is also enhanced with Augmented Reality for tablets and smartphones.
- Exhibition at Musée des Confluences in Lyon, France: We, the Rivers with Erik Orsenna - Oct 2022 to Aug 2023
- Exhibition at Horizonte Zingst Fotofestival with GEO Germany - May to Oct 2021
- Exhibition at Musée de l'Eau de Pont-en-Royan - April 2019 to Oct 2020
- Exhibition at Armenian Center in Valence (France) - 5 to 16 Feb 2019
- Exhibition at Lycée Notre-Dame de Sion Gallery in Istanbul - 27 Sept to 22 Nov 2018
- Festival Photoreporter in Saint Brieuc - 6 Oct to 4 Nov 2018
- Exhibition EverydayClimateChange in Verona Natural History Museum, Italy - 6 Oct 2018 to 13 Jan 2018
- Exhibition EverydayClimateChange at Trongate 103 in Glasgow, UK - 4 Oct to 4 Nov 2018
- Exhibition at Galerie Fait & Cause in Paris - 14 Sept to 28 Oct 2017
- Exhibition at Head On Festival in Australia - 5 to 28 May 2017
- Exhibition with Green Cross International at the United Nations headquarter (Geneva, Switzerland) - October 2016
- VOILAH! French Festival in Gardens of the Bay (Singapore) - 15 April to 31 May 2016
- EverydayClimateChange exhibit at Photoville Festival (New York, US) - Sept 2015
- Photoreporter Festival (Saint Brieuc, France) - The Brahmaputra - The exhibition is enhanced with a custom-designed soundscape and Augmented Reality by Google Glass, for tablets and smartphones - Oct to Nov 2014
- Photoreporter Festival (Saint Brieuc, France) - The Nile - Oct to Nov 2012
- Green Cross 20th anniversary (Geneva, Switzerland) - Sept 2012
Exhibition on Transboundary Rivers near the Supertrees grove during VOILAH! French Festival at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
GEO France (May 2016)
The Jordan - 18 pages
- The Business Times : Article on Transboundary Rivers' exhibition in Singapore
- Lianhe Zaobao : Article on Transboundary Rivers' exhibition in Singapore (Chinese)
- Pure magazine : Article on Transboundary Rivers' exhibition in Singapore
- Corriere della Sera : Article on the Transboundary Rivers project and book (Italian)
- RTL : Live interview (45min) on the book Transboundary Rivers with Thomas Hugues and Sidonie Bonnec (French radio)
- Le Monde : Article on the Transboundary Rivers project and book (French)
- France Culture : Les Petits matins - Interview on the Colorado River (French radio)
- Télérama hightly recommends the Colorado exhibition (French)
- Actuphoto : Interview on my work and the book (French)
- RFI : C'est pas du vent - Interview on the project and the book (French radio)
- DNA : Article on the Colorado River and the Book (French)
- GEO : Presentation of the GEO issue & focus on the Jordan River with the Editor-in-Chief (French)
- France Info : Planete GEO - Radio interview on the Jordan (French radio)
- GEO : Presentation of the GEO issue & focus on the Colorado River with the Editor-in-Chief (French)
- GEO : Video of a 90,000-cow farm in the Imperial Valley (Making-of in French)
- France Info : Planete GEO - Radio interview on the Colorado (French)
- Ouest France Newspaper : Video interview on the exhibition with Augmented Reality (French)
- France Info : Planete GEO - Radio interview on the Brahmaputra (French)
- Energy - At what cost? : Interview in French by Franck Vogel at Photoreporter Festival (French)
- France Info : Planete GEO - Radio interview on the Nile (French)
Story on the Nile’s water by Franck Vogel (in French)