I began this work in 2007 when I photographed two floods that occurred within weeks of each other, one in the UK and the other in India. I was struck by their contrasting impacts and the linked vulnerability that seemed to unite my subjects. Since then I have endeavored to visit flood zones around the world. In total I have made twenty-two flood response trips to thirteen different counties.

This project includes some of the poorest and wealthiest communities on this planet, all exposed to the floodwater that envelops them. In this circumstance the floods are a leveling factor: the live and fates of these individuals become linked and they are brought together in visual solidarity.

In a flooded landscape, reality can seem inverted and normality seems suspended. Surreal reflections appear in unlikely situations. Within this liquid landscape I find myself drawn to making images with a precise symmetry. Through creating this tense paradox of visual calm within the chaos of our climate crisis, my intent is to challenge our sense of stability in the world.

I have often been challenged for making images of traumatic situations that are so aesthetically pleasing and precisely composed. But that is the intention. Through making beautiful images, we can draw people to really look at and consider these lives, gravely disrupted as they are by our global climate crisis.

Over the years of making this work the global geopolitical situation in relation to our climate emergency has become increasingly urgent. As we experience extreme weather events, driven by climate change, we also see ever-more aggressive denialism (often espoused by populist leaders); a global political system incapable of taking meaningful action; and petro-carbon corporations that are resistant to adopting the most minor measure to reduce carbon emissions. In the face of this, I feel a personal responsibility to make this project speak as loudly as possible.