18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
A Dilemma...

This man is putting on more dry straws to fuel the fire. He's making flower pots. This is an open air kiln. It's probably the cheapest way to make clay pots, they just burry the raw clay pots in a huge pile of hay, and lit it on fire. Over the course of two hours, the clay harden. So there's no need to build a kiln. This man received a donation of US$60 about 5 years ago, and turn it into a thriving clay pot business. Now he employs all of his extended family, over 10 people. He's finally pulling himself out of poverty along with many in his village. However, from the rich world's perspective, he's creating an enormous amount of green house gases every day. It certainly poses a dilemma.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2018
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Bacolod, Philippines
Camera: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III
Copyright: © Brian Yen