Humans are destructive creatures. We rule the planet and we are mindless in our abuse of it. Does it matter that we destroy habitats, that we make species extinct, that we pollute the air WE breathe … and all the other ways we mistreat Earth. Not sure? Read on ...
1 The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Although many assume this to be a massive floating island of trash, it is actually dozens and dozens of smaller garbage patches (mostly of plastic but of other debris too) brought together by ocean currents.
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2 And It Extends to the Ocean Floor
This the sea bed near Midway Atoll – a place halfway between North America and Asia – thousands of miles from population.
3 Armed Guards for a Rhino
This is Sudan, the LAST remaining White Rhino in the wild anywhere on earth. Home is 90,000 acres of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. He needs a 24/7 armed guard to protect him from poachers.
4 Glaciers Are Melting in the Northern Hemisphere
It’s easy to be skeptical about Global Warming. After all, Earth has been through many climatic periods in its lifetime but what is happening now has accelerated effects. These two pictures from NASA show the Columbia Glacier in 1986 (left) and 2014 (right).
5 And They’re Melting in the Southern Hemisphere
This is the ice sheet that covers Patagonia (Argentina/Chile) in winter. The picture on the left was taken by NASA in October 2007. Compare it to the one on the left which was taken in November 1973.
6 The Drought in California
Ever wondered why there was water rationing in California in 2015? The pictures above explain it. They show snowfall runoff in the Sierra Nevada which feeds the state’s reservoirs. The left hand picture was taken in March 2010, when the snow was plentiful enough to provide enough water. The right hand image is from 2015 the midst of one of the worst droughts in California history. With such limited snowfall, there hasn't been enough runoff to replenish the reservoirs.
7 Pollution Affects the Quality of the Atmosphere
The two pictures represent the haze of pollution over China – the world’s most populous country. The images were taken 11 days apart.
8 Pollution Spreads
And this shows how the pollution caused by 1.3 billion people spreads.
9 Deforestation is a Major Issue
Another satellite image from NASA which shows the extent to how deforestation is clearing land for agriculture and human development. The images are 12 years apart.
10 Tree Removal by Fire
This is what it looks like at ground level. The picture shows an area of the Colombian rainforest.
11 Make Way for Food
An area the size of six soccer pitches cleared (illegally) for soy production in Mato Grosso, Brazil.
12 But It Isn’t Just the Rainforest
Areas of deciduous forests are cleared too. Forestry land is converted to cropland and pasture for animals reared for meat, milk, wool and leather.
13 And It Isn’t Just the Amazon
This is Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo in West Africa– yes, supposedly an area that needs protection for the habitat it provides. Areas of this home to mountain gorillas and elephants are being cleared to provide charcoal. An industry worth $2 billion.
14 Lakes Are Drying up
Human-influenced climate change has massive impacts on the environment in all sorts of ways. This NASA image shows the shrinkage of Lake Xinkai in Mongolia over a 5-year period (2001-2006).
15 Collateral Damage
Humans love dolphins but sadly, the need to feed the world’s 7 billion (and growing) population means these beautiful animals (along with other creatures like sea turtles) get caught up in trawler nets.
16 The Problem of Urbanization
Yes, Dubai is fabulous. It is an incredible achievement to make a glittering city on a patch of desert but the cost? Well, for example, the incredible man-made Palm Island is made from sand dredged from the sea bed, destroying entire habitats in the process, including coral reefs and oyster beds.
17 The Polar Ice Caps Are Melting
The photo of this frail polar bear says it all.
18 And the Ice is Getting Thinner
Ice caps help regulate sea level and global temperatures. Caused by the overall increase in global temperature, their melting can have serious consequences for all life on Earth. Besides being important for marine life.
19 The Burning of Fossil Fuels
This is what you breathe!
20 Landfill!
All that rubbish has to go somewhere If our rubbish isn’t burned it is sent to landfill where it contaminates the soil and aquifers (water tables) with the chemicals of decay.
21 Water Pollution is an Issue
The more crap that is dumped in our rivers and oceans, the more water treatment plants we need.
22 Oil Spills Are a Crime against the Environment
Oil spills despoil the ocean and kill marine life and birds.
23 Oil Spills Affect Humans Too
Just think about it – has your favorite beach been affected by great ugly globules of yucky oil?
24 Indiscriminate and Illegal Dumping
How would you like your home to be an oil dump?
25 Why?
This is our World – they call it Planet Earth. Earth is BEAUTIFUL. Earth is AMAZING. Let us look after it.
