21 Terrifying Photos Of Plastic Waste From Around The World That Prove We've Ruined The Planet
Climate change and plastic pollution are the biggest challenges that humans face at the moment. Despite initiatives by the government, plastic is still piling up. Why are we still in denial about something we can't afford to ignore? How can we be so careless about leaving future generations with the biggest challenge that humanity will ever face: to heal a broken planet?
There is no time left for earth. It's groaning under the weight of an ever growing population; it's choking thanks to the plentiful greenhouses gases we're adding to the atmosphere; and it's sinking under its own oceans that melting with each passing day as temperatures climb. We humans have to create our own wake up call and we're hoping these 21 terrifying photos of plastic waste and its effect on the environment force all of us in to action.
1. Recently, Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan shared a photo of landfill in the middle of a forest. What only made the sight worse was the elephant that was spotted walking alongside it.
Kaswan cautioned in his tweet, 'When cities expand, our dump yards also expand. #Forest land seems easy target for them. This is what our plastic & other waste is doing to wildlife. A marvellous creature on human waste.' While the photo went viral, we hope something actionable comes out of this.
2. June 1, 2019: dead sharks were seen lying next to plastic waste in Hann Bay, a highly populated site in Senegal's capital Dakar.
Meanwhile President Macky Sall has launched a 'zero waste initiative to step up efforts against the dumping of waste in public spaces.
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3. A pelican tries to eat a piece of fish entangled in plastic mesh on the coastal edge of a beach in Valparaiso, Chile.
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4. This heartbreaking photo shows yet another animal found dead with plastic waste in its stomach. This dolphin was found dead at Fort Meyers beach in Florida with a 2-foot-long plastic shower hose inside her stomach.
"Your actions can make a difference - secure and properly dispose of trash, take part in coastal cleanups and share information on how to reduce marine debris with others," the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission posted on Facebook.
5. A woman holding a fish walks on tyre and plastic waste in Dakar's highly populated Hann Bay.
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6. This aerial photo taken on June 10, 2019 shows a 68-metre long image of a whale formed by plastic waste collected from the ocean during an event to raise awareness on ocean conservation.
The even took place at Rudong Yangkou Harbour in Nantong in China's eastern Jiangsu province.
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7. Another dead sperm whale with plastic in its stomach washes ashore on an unnamed beach in Italy.
The Facebook post reads, the 'seven-year-old whale was so young that its teeth hadn't come out yet'. The whale, estimated to be about 6 years old, washed up on the Cefalu beaches in Sicily, Greenpeace Italy wrote on Facebook.
FACEBOOK/ CARMELO-ISGR?
FACEBOOK/ CARMELO-ISGR?
8. In Indonesia, another dead sperm whale was floating in water with over 6kg of plastic in its stomach.
The content was later revealed to include: 115 plastic cups, 4 plastic bottles, 25 plastic bags, and two flip-flops. The carcass of the mammal was found in the waters, near Kapota Island, Indonesia in the Wakatobi National Park.
TWITTER/ WWF-INDONESIA
9. This time last year, an endangered Black-necked Stork was spotted at Najafgarh jheel by birders. Its beak was locked because of a ring from a plastic bottle.
The rescue operation that followed had rescuers on a lookout for a bamboo trap from Bihar. According to sources, the rescuers ¡ª authorities and birders ¡ª are facing several hurdles. There seems to be no nesting area of the bird, a male, as it¡¯s yet to find a female partner.
10. A cow feeds on plastic waste in what is a sight only too common in India.
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11. A still image taken from video shows an Israeli researcher holding a brick with a cluster of sea squirts nestled in it as it floats underwater in the Red Sea.
This was part of research work an Israeli team was conducting back in February, 2019 in the Israeli resort city of Eilat.
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12. A dead beached turtle that was washed up, with plastic in its belly, is seen on the Congot beach, in Kulon Progo, Indonesia.
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13. This scary image shows sled dogs making their way to their destination in northwest Greenland while wading through melted ice water.
14. And how many times have we seen this sight in India of stray dogs feeding on plastic waste from a makeshift garbage dump?
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15. You're probably wondering why the tortoise's shell is shaped like that. By the time this tortoise was found, it was assumed that it had this plastic ring caught around its shell when it was younger.
And because of that, it has grown deformed like this. The next time you're around a water body and think it is harmless to throw plastic garbage into it, think again.
16. The waste from water bodies doesn't just affect the marine life and the water quality but also birds. This bird ingested so much plastic that the only way out of it was death.
17. Oil spills and waste from factories and humans has had a devastating effect on marine life. This photo of a water body in Rio De Janeiro shows dead fish.
18. Think climate change is a joke? Not for this polar bear. Melting ice caps and rising sea levels due to human activity led us to this day.
19. Meanwhile in Alaska, dozens of dead seals are washing ashore, and scientists are unable to find out the exact reason.
¡°We are mobilizing to get our marine mammal experts and our partners there to get some samples,¡± Speegle said. ¡°It could be a harmful algal bloom. It could be a number of things,¡± one scientist explained. Hair loss was also noticed in some seals and whether it's abnormal molting or just a plethora of environmental issues has yet to be established. That said, it's not hard to imagine an upset environment as a precursor of this.
NOAA
20. A dead penguin found near Dromana Pier, on the Mornington Peninsula had its feet entangled in ribbons and balloons.
¡®An entanglement such as this would impair the penguin¡¯s swimming ability, resulting in starvation or drowning. Both the ribbon and balloons are to blame for this death. These were someone¡¯s balloons. Was it worth it?¡¯ St Kilda Penguins wrote on Facebook.
21. Probably one of the most hard-hitting photos from this year, this one shows a turtle looking to lay eggs stumbling across a runway instead.
Sadly, the green sea turtle had no choice but to lay eggs in the middle of the runway of Maafaru International Airport in Noonu Atoll, Maldives.