A girl in a mask takes a selfie with fumes in the backdrop — the poster shows how future selfies will be if air pollution remains unchecked.

Another poster shows animals dying and trees being cut.

These and several such posters by students and young professionals at the American Center highlighted their worries regarding air pollution.

The US consulate general celebrated World Environment Day that falls on June 5 at the American Center on Tuesday by organising a poster competition on the theme “Together we can beat air pollution”.

The United Nations has kept air pollution as the theme for this year’s World Environment Day.

A poster shows a girl in a mask taking a selfie with fumes in the background Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

Arnik Karmakar, 18, said trees were felled not only in forests but also on the premises of his house. The reason: the house will be pulled down for a highrise.

“Several trees in our compound are being cut... today, while I was coming to American Center I saw a tree being chopped,” the Class XII student said on Tuesday. “I feel sad for the insects that lived there.”

Anupriya Ghosh, 19, said some Indian cities like Delhi and Calcutta were “highly polluted”. Soon, people will have to wear masks if concrete steps are not taken, the second-year BCom student said.

“It will be just smog if we allow things to continue like this. How long can technology help us if we don’t spare a thought for the environment.”

A poster with a chopped tree and dying animals Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

At least 65 participants, aged between 18 and 30, came up with posters to spread awareness on air pollution.

A child in the mother’s womb surrounded by car fumes and smoke and how a person’s lungs are affected by pollution were among the posters they had to make in 90 minutes.

The posters were not only about artistic excellence but also about ideas and thoughts that went behind them.

“It is relevant in Calcutta and in India... it’s a fact that many of the Indian metros, especially during winter when weather patterns are more inverted, have very high air pollution levels,” Jamie Dragon, director, American Center, said. “In the US, it’s one of our important issues because it is a global health issue.”

The winners of the competition with their posters Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

Dragon drew a parallel between present-day Calcutta and Los Angeles of the 1980s when the city had “horrible air” and there were articles and pictures in newspapers about the Los Angeles smog.

A few decades later similar things are being seen in the Indian media in Delhi and Calcutta during winter, he said.

“From my personal perspective, the awareness is just building in Calcutta and in India like it was when I was a kid in the 1980s in the United States. So, now in the US, we can look at LA as a success story. As the awareness level went up, the government and civil society, everyone together found ways to mitigate it... Calcutta and India is in the middle of the awareness path.”