In April 2024, investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and photojournalist Bénédicte Kurzen addressed the ecological and human challenges of e-waste transboundary flow at the CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit.
According to the UN’s latest global e-waste monitor, the amount of electrical and electronic waste generated worldwide has increased by more than 82% over the last decade. Yet only a small portion is properly recycled.
“I got to realize the power of photojournalism. What you can say with one photo, you may have to write a lot to say.”
— Anas Aremeyaw Anas
Supported by the Fondation Carmignac, Anas, Kurzen, and photojournalist Muntaka Chasant, conducted a year-long transnational study to uncover the stakes of legal and illegal e-waste flows to, within, and from Ghana, the epicenter of the world’s e-waste. Their collaborative report, produced with the support of the Carmignac Photojournalism Award, will be featured at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from June 28 to August 31, 2024.
Below, you can watch their full Summit discussion, moderated by Mina Kim, host of KQED Forum, to learn about their findings.
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Unveiling E-Waste Traffic at CatchLight Summit 2024
“Sometimes you feel that the topic you are covering is a bit far from the people,” Kurzen explained to the Summit audience. “With this project…I feel that we’re all very much engaged—into what we do and what happens to all the items that we use on a daily basis.”
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Left to right: Mina Kim, host of KQED Forum, moderates a conversation with Carmignac Laureates, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Bénédicte Kurzen, at the 2024 CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit in San Francisco, April 27, 2024. Photo: Chloe Jackman Photography for CatchLight
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