The world´s most populous and third largest country by area, China is famous for its incredibly diverse landscape. From forest steppes and the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts in the arid north up to subtropical forests brimming with amazing wildlife in the south, the Chinese countryside is indeed breathtaking. Unfortunately, next generations might not be able to enjoy the natural beauty of China, and possibly even live there because of the outrageous and out-of-control pollution this country has been struggling with. The overpopulation and enormous economic growth has taken its toll, leaving the environment in terrifying conditions. To give you a glimpse of the scale and seriousness of China’s predicament, have a look at these 25 Shocking Pictures Of The Pollution In China.
25
Woman takes a sample of the Jianhe River which has become red from chemical plants illegally dumping untreated waste water directly into a local stream.
knowledge.allianz.com 24
What looks like a heavy fog is actually extremely high air pollution. Beijing, the Chinese capital, is one of the most polluted cities in the world.
www.citylab.com 23
The concentration of the air pollutants in the city is 40 times higher than the international safety limits allow
thinkprogress.org 22
Fishermen in the Chaohu Lake in Hefei. The otherworldly looking color and texture of the water has been caused by a mixture of algae and chemical pollutants.
www.boredpanda.com 21
In other parts of the lake, the water is unnaturally green and greasy.
www.zerohedge.com 20
Woman helps to clean up oil at an oil spill site near Dalian Port, Liaoning Province.
darkroom.baltimoresun.com 19
People look at a heavily contaminated river that cuts through the city of Zhugao in Sichuan Province.
www.independent.co_.uk 18
Lack of drinking water is a major problem in China. It is estimated that almost 700 million Chinese (about a half of the country´s population) have to drink contaminated water.
anonhq.com 17
Some plants discharge sewage and chemical waste directly into rivers which is why the water often turns into unrealistic colors.
darksideof.com 16
A boy swims in dense algal blooms in Qingdao, which are caused by excessive agricultural run-off and lead to 'dead zones' inhospitable for both flora and fauna.
www.businessinsider.com 15
Electronic waste has been another significant problem as China has served as a global dumping ground for used electronics from all over the world.
youreverydaydose.com 14
A worker tries to remove poisoned fish in Lake Wuhan in the Hubei Province, Central China.
www.ibtimes.co_.uk 13
Sometimes, the extent of the disaster is just overwhelming. These fish are thought to be poisoned by ammonia dumped into the water.
www.isciencetimes.com 12
Only 1% of China's 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the European Union standards.
urbantimes.co 11
Boy vainly tries to avoid garbage floating in a flooded street in Kuang-Tung.
creativelife.cz 10
Boys fish in a heavily polluted river covered with algae in Hefei.
prafulla.net 9
People clean oil spills in Liaoning Province.
all-that-is-interesting.com 8
Needless to say the oil contamination has fatal impact on every animal living in the affected area.
oddpad.com 7
Woman hopelessly trying to clean polluted river.
www.habitatadvocate.com_.au 6
Fisherman wades in a polluted lake covered with green algae in the Anhui Province.
www.ibtimes.co_.uk 5
Two of the almost three thousand dead pigs found in Shanghai's Huangpu River.
www.theatlantic.com 4
Because of the enormous air pollution, the sun appears to fail to shine through the smog layers, creating apocalyptic-like panoramas.
inhabitat.com 3
Scavengers look for recyclable things at a trash dump in Nanning in southern China.
news.xinhuanet.com 2
Man with his mule in a polluted river in Linka village. The area is contaminated from waste dumped by a nearby coal mine.
www.ibtimes.co_.uk 1
Man relaxing on a beach, surrounded by trash left by almost half a million visitors who attended the Dragon Boat Festival near the city of Shenzen, southern China.
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