An artisanal fisherman uses a net to fish in the shore break along the beach of the faded resort town of Gopalpur, India. Gopalpur, like much of the Odisha coastline, has seen an increase in the frequency and ferocity of cyclones coming in off the Bay of Bengal. Less frequent are fish that command good prices at the local markets.

Bunga Kali, center, and other residents sit on a street corner in the government built village of Podompetta, India. The original fishing village, like others along the Bay of Bengal coastline, has been mostly destroyed by cyclones and rapid erosion brought on by human induced climate change. Only two families remain in the ruins of the old village.

A woman dries fish along the beach in Ramayapatanam, India. Many men have left their traditional fishing lives due to meager income and a diminishing fish catch and taken jobs in construction in far away cities. Homes have been destroyed and the government responded by building a “rehabilitation colony,” new housing, inland. Residents of the beleaguered town are reluctant to move there due to its distance from the coastline.

R. Gudduamma works on her shelter where she dries fish along the beach in Ramayapatanam. Her husband abandoned fishing and moved away to work construction in the southern cities. She now catches and dries fish to help support herself and her family.

S. Purohit climbs up an embankment where his home once stood, destroyed by sea erosion and tidal surge, in the nearly abandoned fishing village of Podompetta, India. The original fishing village, like others along the Bay of Bengal coastline, has been largely destroyed by cyclones and erosion. Purohit, a local fisherman, saw his home, which sat on this bluff, collapse due to erosion and tidal surges. He now lives in a nearby “rehabilitation colony” built by the government.

A man gathers water from a spigot in the government built village of Podompetta, India. The old fishing village is in ruins. Only two families remain there. The fresh water, used for drinking, bathing and cooking, as well as farming, is becoming increasingly salty due to the encroaching bay.

People stand on a street, part of which had recently fallen into the sea, washed away by a tidal surge, in Ramayapatanam, India. Homes in the village have been consumed by the bay's encroaching waters block by block. The government responded by building a “rehabilitation colony,” new housing, inland. Residents of the beleaguered town are reluctant to move there due to its distance from the coastline.

Moto taxis, cyclists and pedestrians negotiate the streets at sunrise in the faded beach town of Gopalpur, India. Gopalpur, like much of the Odisha coastline, has seen an increase in the frequency and ferocity of cyclones and a decrease in visitors and tourists. Scientists point to human induced climate change as the chief culprit of the often brutal weather that plagues India’s east coast.

Pokallu Gangamaa, left, joins her extended family along a beach front road in Ramayapatanam, India. Her son-in-law, at right opening a coconut, is moving to fish in the Andaman Islands. Many men have left the Odisha coastline because of the diminishing fish catch. They have

School children run down a road outside a “rehabilitation colony” in Ramayapatanam, India. Homes in the original village on the coast have been destroyed by steady erosion, tidal surges and more frequent cyclones. The government responded by building a “rehabilitation colony,” new housing, inland, but few residents have moved there.

The docks of the fish auction house lie mostly empty in the predawn hours in Paradeep, India. There were only two boats offloading fish this day, a result of stormy seas and fishermen say, dwindling fish stocks in the Bay of Bengal. The fishermen say that the catch has plummeted by nearly half and hauls that used to take 5 to 7 days at sea, now take up to 15.

Fish buyers put in their bids over meager offerings at a fish auction house in Paradeep, India. Normally there are multiple stalls selling fish. On this morning there were only two boats offloading fish and tensions among the buyers was running high. Locals say that it is a more common occurrence now that fish stocks are diminishing.

Fishermen work lines on the dock at the commercial fishing port in Paradeep, India. The fleet, 700 boats strong, trawls for fish in the Bay of Bengal primarily using ring nets. The fishermen say that the catch has plummeted by nearly half and hauls that used to take 5 to 7 days at sea, now take up to 15.

A fisherman walks the nearly empty dock of the commercial fishing port in Paradeep, India. Normally buzzing with activity, the fish market pier has grown increasingly quiet as the quantity of fish being caught diminishes. The fishermen say that the catch has plummeted by nearly half and hauls that used to take 5 to 7 days at sea, now take up to 15.

Children leap and dive off a ferry boat crossing the Hooghly River in Kolkata, India. Monsoon rains, which are becoming more erratic, were nearly 20 percent below normal for 2023 in Kolkata. The city is a both a transit point and destination for people fleeing the encroaching waters of the Bay of Bengal. Salinization, erosion and cyclones have forced many to flee their homes and land in search of new jobs in Kolkata and beyond.

Ratna Bhuyan, left, and Swapan Mondol, right, laugh with their 4-year-old son Ribhu in their small rental apartment in Piali, India. Piali is a town on the outskirts of Kolkata that have become the homes of many that have fled the nearby Sundarban region. The Bhuyan family, arrived 3 years ago, after their home on Gangasagar Island was destroyed by a cyclone. The Sundarbans are mangrove swamps that are experiencing rapid erosion and a rise in sea level. Many have seen their land fall into the sea and now live as close to Kolkata as they can afford to. They would like to return but there is no land for them to build on. It has vanished into the sea.

Traffic chaotically moves through a Muslim quarter of Kolkata, India. The city is a both a transit point and destination for people fleeing the encroaching waters of the Bay of Bengal. Erosion and cyclones have forced many to flee their homes and land in search of new jobs in Kolkata. Even very modest neighborhoods in the city center are very expensive and many climate refugees must live far outside the city where housing is more affordable.

Children play soccer in a vacant lot in the center of the West Bengali capital city of Kolkata, India. Even very modest neighborhoods in the city center are very expensive and many climate refugees must live far outside the city where housing is more affordable.

Passengers gather at a dock adjacent to the Howrah Bridge to board a ferry boat crossing the Hooghly River in Kolkata, India. Climate migrants move through and into the city, most fleeing the vanishing mangrove forests of the nearby Sunderbans region. This ferry crossing is a main connection point to the nearby railway station.

Despite a threatening monsoon storm, construction workers continue working on an apartment building going up in the New Town district of Kolkata, India on August 1, 2023. Many climate refugees, mostly farmers and fishermen, who have seen their homes and livelihoods destroyed by human induced climate change, have fled to the cities of India to work, mainly in construction.

Monsoon winds and rain rip through billboards along a flyover in Kolkata, India. Increasingly violent cyclones and storms have plagued India's Bay of Bengal coastline in recent years as the waters have warmed.

People crowd onto ferries crossing the Bidyadhari River in Gadkhali, India on August 2, 2023. The city is a both a transit point and destination for people fleeing the encroaching waters of the Bay of Bengal. Salivation, erosion and cyclones have forced many to flee their homes and land in search of new jobs in Kolkata and beyond.

A cow pasture smolders after a bush fire, extinguished by local citizens, broke out in Uppuveli, Sri Lanka. Erratic rains and unpredictable monsoon patterns, brought on by human induced climate change, are making farming difficult for those living in Sri Lanka’s “dry zones.” One farmer said they used to be able to predict the start of the monsoon to the day. Now they don't know if the rains will come at all.

Workers fill 60 kilogram sacks of rice in a field during the dry season harvest in Morawewa, Sri Lanka. Farming is getting increasingly difficult and expensive due to unpredictable weather patterns. Many are abandoning farming or just growing enough to feed themselves.

A fisherman paddles past tree trunks exposed in a near empty reservoir in Morawewa, Sri Lanka. As farming becomes more difficult many are turning to fishing, but erratic rains make that a nearly impossible way to make enough money to survive.

Asantha Amal, 35, sells fish from a makeshift stall outside his home in Morawewa, Sri Lanka. The family has resorted to fishing and selling their catch in an attempt to earn more money due to lower prices for milk. Their small herd of cows have produced less milk of a lower quality due to weak rains over the past few seasons.

Kottegoda Nirosha milks one of her family’s cows at their small farm in Morawewa, Sri Lanka. The poor rains and dry soil are affecting the quality and quantity of milk from their cows. The family is unable to keep up economically with the lower prices they are fetching and are thinking about giving up farming altogether.

Aviska Nisadani, 12, plays on her family’s small farm in Morawewa, Sri Lanka. She and her family want to stay on their small farm in Sri Lanka's "dry zone," but it is becoming increasingly difficult as erratic rains have made it near impossible to survive economically.

Asantha Amal, 35, tries to coax one the family’s cows to a better pasture. The family has resorted to fishing and selling their catch in an attempt to earn more money due to lower prices for milk. Their small herd of cows have produced less milk of a lower quality due to weak rains over the past few seasons. A failure of multiple farms could spell a food crisis for the Indian Ocean island.