Maikel de BakkerTwo Futures on One Shoreline
Yesterday in Zoutelande, I walked along the beach with my wife while our kids played nearby. As I looked out over the sea, an enormous red LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) transport vessel passed silently across the horizon. In the foreground, a young boy played joyfully with a football — unaware of the environmental burden drifting behind him.
This image captures more than just a moment; it shows two futures crossing paths. The ship represents a system still deeply tied to fossil fuels — a system contributing to increasingly severe climate disasters: wildfires now raging across Canada, Greece, France, and Turkey; record heat; failing crops. And yet, the child reminds us what — and who — we’re trying to protect.
LPG may emit less CO₂ than coal or oil, but it is still a fossil fuel. Its use delays the transition we urgently need — toward renewables, electrification, and circular energy systems. Every year of delay means a hotter, less stable world for the next generation.
This photograph is not about blame. It’s a reminder: the future is already watching us. Let’s choose wisely, and act boldly.
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#climatephotography #fossilfuelawareness #zoutelande #canonphotography #documentaryphoto #energytransition #climatecrisis #environmentalstorytelling #visualactivism #sustainability #planetoverprofit #lpgship #carbonfootprint #climatejustice #beachcontrast #childandclimate #climateemergency #climateactionnow #ecologicalawareness #oceanview #dutchcoast #netherlandsphotography #energyawareness #futuregenerations #photojournalism #lowcarbonfuture #invisibleimpact #maikeldebakker #climatehope #fightforourfuture
Yesterday in Zoutelande, I walked along the beach with my wife while our kids played nearby. As I looked out over the sea, an enormous red LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) transport vessel passed silently across the horizon. In the foreground, a young boy played joyfully with a football — unaware of the environmental burden drifting behind him.
This image captures more than just a moment; it shows two futures crossing paths. The ship represents a system still deeply tied to fossil fuels — a system contributing to increasingly severe climate disasters: wildfires now raging across Canada, Greece, France, and Turkey; record heat; failing crops. And yet, the child reminds us what — and who — we’re trying to protect.
LPG may emit less CO₂ than coal or oil, but it is still a fossil fuel. Its use delays the transition we urgently need — toward renewables, electrification, and circular energy systems. Every year of delay means a hotter, less stable world for the next generation.
This photograph is not about blame. It’s a reminder: the future is already watching us. Let’s choose wisely, and act boldly.
—
#climatephotography #fossilfuelawareness #zoutelande #canonphotography #documentaryphoto #energytransition #climatecrisis #environmentalstorytelling #visualactivism #sustainability #planetoverprofit #lpgship #carbonfootprint #climatejustice #beachcontrast #childandclimate #climateemergency #climateactionnow #ecologicalawareness #oceanview #dutchcoast #netherlandsphotography #energyawareness #futuregenerations #photojournalism #lowcarbonfuture #invisibleimpact #maikeldebakker #climatehope #fightforourfuture
Longhauler Advocacy Project