A story of two rivers: Photographing the Colorado and the Ganges

Aerial view at sunrise of the double oxbow 'Loop' in Canyonlands.
Aerial view at sunrise of the double oxbow 'Loop' in Canyonlands.
Pete McBride | National Geographic Creative
Peter McBride, Sea of Cortez
Peter McBride, Sea of Cortez
Pete McBride | National Geographic Creative

As part of our ongoing coverage of water issues on MPR News, host Tom Weber talks with National Geographic photographer Pete McBride about two of the world's great rivers and what they show us about the critical issues of our time.

McBride made an award-winning film called "Chasing Water", about the Colorado River, which has carved breathtaking landscapes in the American West and which supplies both power and water to southwestern cities and farms.

But the Colorado is tapped out. It no longer reaches the sea. It's a story of human consumption combined with the effects of climate change.

McBride has also explored the Ganges, considered a sacred river to many people in India. But even as it is revered, it is dangerously polluted.

McBride will talk more about these journeys tonight (March 9) at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul as part of the National Geographic Live! series.

To listen to the segment use the audio player above.

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