What Humans Are Really Doing to Our Planet, in Jaw-Dropping Imagery

Posted by Jeff on May 23, 2015 @ 2:23 am in Conservation | 0 comments | Last modified: May 22, 2015

Recently world leaders have encouraged everyone to consume less and think more about our impact on the environment. It’s a timely warning.

Ahead of a series of major events later this year, The Foundation for Deep Ecology and the Population Media Center released a collection that illustrates the devastating effects of out-of-control growth and waste, and it’s sickeningly breathtaking.

“This is an issue that people care about, and oftentimes it’s just not discussed by mainstream media,” Missie Thurston, director of marketing and communications at the Population Media Center said.

It’s difficult to always know the impacts of our daily choices, like the real effect of buying bottled water or an extra TV or laptop. With 220,000 more people on the planet every day, and the average person generating over 4 pounds of waste a day — an almost 60% increase since 1960 — the impact of that growth and change in behavior is rarely seen like this.

The rest of the year is going to be critical. In September, world leaders will try to agree on sustainable development goals that will take us through 2030. In December, in Paris, the United Nations will attempt to finally set binding limits on pollution. 2015 will dictate how we address our degrading planet over the next few decades.

The Population Media Center and partners hope these photos will help generate awareness and action. Because as the word spreads, so does the will to make sure we never have to see images like these again.