“I am not qualified to talk about climate change” Photographer Norio Matsumoto's Conflict January 4, 15:36

"Alaska is a'coal mine canary'in global warming."

It is the words of photographer Norio Matsumoto (49).

Mr. Matsumoto was fascinated by the nature of Alaska and has been attending for over 25 years.

As I turned my lens to the mysterious aurora and the powerful appearance of animals, I began to witness the vivid scars of climate change.

However, it is said that until now it was not possible to convey the reality to anyone.

I visited Mr. Matsumoto, who lives in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, to find out what it means.

(Good morning Japan director Shinichi Umeda)

* This content will also be broadcast in Good morning Japan on the 5th.

Alone in an extreme environment

Mr. Matsumoto spends his time in Alaska twice a year, from January to March and from June to September.

This is to aim for the expression of Alaska that changes with the seasons.

Mr. Matsumoto's shooting style is to shoot alone in an extreme environment.

Especially in winter, to take a co-star with Denali (6190 meters), the highest peak in North America, we fly down to the glacier and camp for 50 days on ice that can reach -50 ° C.

Photographer Norio Matsumoto

"If you focus only on the result of photography, you don't have to be alone. It's less dangerous and you can shoot efficiently. But from" What did you shoot? " However, I think that "how you worked on it" is more important. If you compare it to mountain climbing, the impression when you reach the summit is different between climbing on the ropeway and climbing step by step by yourself. It's true. Sometimes I can't shoot the aurora at all in a 50-day camp, but if the process and contents are enriched, I can be convinced of my way of life. "

There is something I want to shoot that is not enough for a lifetime

The opportunity to set foot in Alaska was the encounter with a book.

It is said that he was shocked when he happened to pick up a photo trip in Alaska by world-famous photographer Michio Hoshino when he was 20 years old.

Photographer Norio Matsumoto

"

Oh

, there is such a world. I was really drawn to the fact that there is still untouched nature in the northern world, and that such a place remains on the earth."

I went to a university in Alaska and taught myself photography.

For over 25 years, I've been shooting in Alaska.

In addition to introducing his works and shooting processes in overseas magazines and TV programs, his photobook was nominated for the Kimura Ihei Award, also known as the "Akutagawa Prize in the photography world."

"The only thing I really want to take is Alaska. I want to continue taking pictures in Alaska until I die, feeling the happiness of encountering something I want to take for the rest of my life."

The scars of climate change are revealed

But about 15 years ago, I began to notice that the pristine nature of Alaska had changed.

The glacier melted and a big hole was created.

It seems to be the effect of global warming.

Photographer Norio Matsumoto

"I've been camping on glaciers all winter, but I can't go to the glacier I loved again. The high temperatures in summer melt it and make it bumpy. I can't land the plane because it's gone. "

We begin to encounter everywhere we feel the effects of global warming.

It's not just winter.

Changes were also appearing in the summer ecosystem.

Photographer Norio Matsumoto

"There was a summer when there were no whales a few years ago. When I looked into it later, the seawater temperature rose and plankton and small fish that feed on whales went somewhere. The whale has also disappeared from Alaska. "

In addition, the frequency of wildfires, which have rarely occurred so far, has increased.

"There are more and more days when smoke is flowing into the town and it's hard to see. It's because of the frequent wildfires. During the summer, the temperature rises and the forests dry out. Then a thunder struck there and a forest fire broke out. "

Global warming is our fault

While in Japan, Mr. Matsumoto visits elementary and junior high schools nationwide to hold "Photo Live", an event that mixes talk while showing photos and videos.

However, I have never talked about global warming in photo live.

I felt that I was not qualified to speak.

Photographer Norio Matsumoto

"I thought it would be a little different to put yourself on the shelf and tell other people to think and act. For example, like Greta Thunberg. If you are a person who lives a really clean life with respect to the earth, such as "when you move, you get on a ship", you can confidently talk to everyone about global warming, and I think you are the right person. But I'm not that kind of person. I usually use a computer, drive a car, and even fly. I have a strong feeling that such a person is not qualified to talk to other people about global warming. It wasn't it? "

Even so, there was an event in which Mr. Matsumoto's conflict grew.

It was when I went to an indigenous settlement along the coastline.

Their lives were also threatened by global warming.

"The coastline is eroding because the sea isn't freezing. That's why the houses along the sea have collapsed. The melting of the permafrost in the basement also has an effect. It is believed that these people are not doing anything wrong. The opposite is true. We know well that we are in harmony with nature and are being made alive by the blessings of nature. They are people who have lived to protect nature. Now they are naturally stripped of their fangs and their lives are threatened. Then, who is it? It's because of that. "

I don't have the "qualification to talk", but I talk

You can't just hold your finger on the current situation where the nature of Alaska, which I loved, collapses with noise.

From the fall of last year (2021), Mr. Matsumoto started talking about the environmental problems that he had avoided so far at the photo live.

At the end of the event, we tell junior high school students that they are affecting the various changes that they have seen and the lives of indigenous peoples who have lived in harmony with nature.

The junior high school students who participated gave us such impressions.

"It made me feel very complicated when I thought that

we were hurting the

local people and nature."

"Even if humans don't step in naturally, the effects come from afar, so I'm irrelevant. I want to act without thinking. "

Photographer Norio Matsumoto

"Of course I still think that I'm not qualified to say" Let's protect the earth "about global warming. I think, but in a situation where I'm already saying such naive things. It's more like I don't have it. That's how critical Alaska is. If I don't do something now, it's really too late. "

Last December, we covered a photo live held by Mr. Matsumoto for the lower grades of elementary school.

I didn't talk about preparing for junior high school students, but at the end of the introduction of the wonderful nature, I threw it at the children.

Photographer Norio Matsumoto

"There are a lot of animals like this in Alaska. Nature is amazing. Thanks to nature, you can eat delicious fish. Thanks to nature, textbooks used when studying You can also use notebook paper, and thanks to nature, you can enjoy and be impressed like today. So I would like to continue to protect this nature. What did everyone think? "Is it?"

Postscript

According to Mr. Matsumoto, in the near future, the effects of global warming may become as serious as Alaska in the world including Japan.

Such a sense of crisis has been transmitted.

I think that the conflict that Mr. Matsumoto had between that sense of crisis and real life becomes stronger the more he tries to deal with environmental problems seriously.

I would like to continue asking myself,

"What can I do to continue my civilized life?"

Good morning Japan director

Shinichi Umeda

Joined in 2016

After working at the Matsuyama station, we

covered a wide range of topics from the field of

incumbent

child welfare to the NBA.