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27 Heartbreaking Photos That’ll Make You Realise What We’ve Done To Our Environment

Did you know: The human population on our planet has grown more in the last 50 years than it did in the previous four million years. Every day, enough trash is produced in the US to equal the weight of the Empire State Building. At least 50 million acres of rainforest are lost every year. That’s more than the size of England, Scotland and Wales combined. As per a recent IUCN report, one in every four mammals is at risk of extinction.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Going by that assumption, these 27 powerful images of environmental pollution should have more of an impact than 27,000 words like the ones above. If these don’t make you stop and think about our planet, nothing will.

1. This tortoise trapped in plastic waste grew disproportionately

This tortoise trapped in plastic waste grew disproportionately

 

2. So did this turtle

This turtle trapped in plastic waste grew disproportionately

 

3. This Koala lost his home after loggers destroyed a forest in New South Wales, Australia

This Koala lost her home after loggers destroyed the forest

 

4. Here’s a bird in an oil spill

Here's a bird in an oil spill

 

5. Albatross killed by excessive plastic ingestion (Midway Islands, North Pacific)

Albatross killed by excessive plastic ingestion (Midway Islands, North Pacific)

6. A stork trapped in plastic

A stork trapped in plastic

 

7. A seal that’s suffering in its own habitat

A seal that's suffering in its own habitat

 

8. Penguins covered in oil

Penguins covered in oil

 

9. A wave full of trash in Java, Indonesia (the world’s most populated island)

A wave full of trash in Java, Indonesia (the world’s most populated island)

 

10. This boy spends each morning looking for recyclable plastic that he can sell for 35 cents/kilo to support his family

This boy spends each morning looking for recyclable plastic that he can sell for 35 cents/kilo to support his family

 

11. Tourists pose in front of a fake Hong Kong skyline

Tourists pose in front of a fake Hong Kong skyline

 

12. Seal’s nose trapped in plastic waste

Seal's nose trapped in plastic waste

 

13. Look what happened to this bird stuck in an oil spill

Look what happened to this bird stuck in an oil spill

 

14. Boy swimming in polluted water in India

Boy swimming in polluted water in India

 

15. Child drinks water from stream in Fuyuan County, China

Child drinks water from stream in Fuyuan County, China

 

16. Girl walks through smog in Beijing, where small-particle pollution is 40 times higher than acceptable levels established by the World Health Organization

Girl walks through smog in Beijing, where small-particle pollution is 40 times higher than acceptable levels established by the WHO

 

17. Worker clears dead fish at a lake in Wuhan, China

Worker clears dead fish at a lake in Wuhan, China

 

18. The Ken River Oil Field in California has been exploited since 1899

The Ken River Oil Field in California has been exploited since 1899

 

19. Home to over 20 million inhabitants, here’s the landscape of Mexico City

Home to over 20 million inhabitants, here's the landscape of Mexico City

 

20. A child swims in a polluted reservoir in Pingba, China

A child swims in a polluted reservoir in Pingba, China

 

21. Landscape full of trash in Bangladesh

Landscape full of trash in Bangladesh

 

22. Man cleans up oil spill in Dalian Port, China

Man cleans up oil spill in Dalian Port, China

 

23. Every day trash at the Great Wall Of China

Every day trash at the Great Wall Of China

 

24. Residents look at a heavily polluted river in Zhugao, China

Residents look at a heavily polluted river in Zhugao, China

 

25. Electronic rubbish usually ends up in third-world countries, here’s a landfill in Accra, Ghana

Electronic rubbish usually ends up in third-world countries, here's a landfill in Accra, Ghana

 

26. A boy swims in Algae-filled water in Qingdao, China

A boy swims in Algae-filled water in Qingdao, China

 

27. A man walks by a pipe discharging waste water into the Yangtze River, China

A man walks by a pipe discharging waste water into the Yangtze River, China

Via Bored Panda. What are you doing to save the environment? Share this post and your views in the comments below.

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