内容摘要：Shekh and his family are among the estimated 1.5 to 4 million people who scratch out a living searching through India’s waste — and climate change is making a hazardous job more dangerous than ever. In Jammu, a northern Indian city in the Himalayan foothills, temperatures this summer have regularly topped 43 degrees Celsius (about 110 Fahrenheit).

Shekh and his family are among the estimated 1.5 to 4 million people who scratch out a living searching through India’s waste — and climate change is making a hazardous job more dangerous than ever. In Jammu, a northern Indian city in the Himalayan foothills, temperatures this summer have regularly topped 43 degrees Celsius (about 110 Fahrenheit).

“We are afraid. I feel very sad with life because of what I am going through,” said Julia, her voice breaking and her eyes getting watery.The notary asked Julia to show her daughter’s birth certificate and explained the son is an adult and doesn’t need a guardian.

Albertina, right, talks to Nora Sandigo about giving Sandigo legal guardianship for her six U.S-.born children aged 17 years to two months, Feb. 2, 2025, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)Albertina, right, talks to Nora Sandigo about giving Sandigo legal guardianship for her six U.S-.born children aged 17 years to two months, Feb. 2, 2025, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)A mother embraces her young son after signing a document giving immigration advocate Nora Sandigo legal guardianship of him if she is detained or deported by immigration authorities, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

A mother embraces her young son after signing a document giving immigration advocate Nora Sandigo legal guardianship of him if she is detained or deported by immigration authorities, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)“I don’t want my children to be taken away from me. If something happens to me, I want them with me,” she said before signing the power of attorney naming Sandigo as the legal guardian of the youngest.

In the backyard of another home, Albertina, a 36-year-old Mexican mother, held her 2-month-old baby while explaining what she wants for her six children if she is deported. Albertina also insisted only her first name be used.

“I am very afraid that they will grab me on the road and take me away. What’s going to happen to them?” she said of her children.“If you don’t take care of them they become a problem and now it’s a shame to see dogs everywhere. We have a big problem right now I don’t know what we’re going to do,” she said.

A giant tortoise estimated to be over 100 years old feeds in the highlands on a reserve called Rancho Primicias on Saturday, June 15, 2024, on Santa Cruz, Ecuador in the Galapagos. (AP Photo/Alie Skowronski)A giant tortoise estimated to be over 100 years old feeds in the highlands on a reserve called Rancho Primicias on Saturday, June 15, 2024, on Santa Cruz, Ecuador in the Galapagos. (AP Photo/Alie Skowronski)

A feral dog wanders the streets of Santa Rosa, Ecuador in the Galapagos, outside the highland grounds where giant tortoises feed on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alie Skowronski)A feral dog wanders the streets of Santa Rosa, Ecuador in the Galapagos, outside the highland grounds where giant tortoises feed on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alie Skowronski)