for those yet to be
we drank we swam we breathed
Lake Okeechobee, Florida, USA
In 2016 Florida declared a state of emergency over an outbreak of algae that originated from Lake Okeechobee. The algae caused miles of waterways, wetlands and sea coasts to be swamped with toxins endangering marine environment and already fragile ecosystems. The algae is caused by waste flow from agriculture, cattle ranches and farms.
the ice we left you with
Patagonian glaciers, Patagonia
The ice fields in southern South America are rapidly loosing volume even at the highest elevations. The southern and northern Patagonian ice fields are the largest mass of ice in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica.
paws you will not touch
Mass Glaciers Retreat, Svalbard, Norway
Ice in Svalbard is an integral part of ecosystems, society and the land itself. Around 60% of Svalbard’s land area is covered by glaciers. T he Norwegian Polar Institute has been measuring the mass balance of selected glaciers in Svalbard since 1967. S valbard’s glaciers have retreated from their maximum positions in the 1920s. Some glaciers that used to calve in the sea now end far inland. There is a mass glacier retreat in Svalbard that severely alters and disturbs the Arctic ecosystem.
extinct species you will study
Palm oil plantation, Indonesia
According to the WWF, an area the equivalent size of 300 football fields of rainforest is cleared each hour to make way for palm oil production. The deforestation is pushing many species to extinction. A third of all mammal species in Indonesia are considered to be critically endangered and the country has lost 72 percent of its intact forests.
the sea that swallowed your shores
Maldives
As the climate warms up some countries will physically cease to exist as the land they are made of is swallowed up by rising seas. As the flattest country on Earth, the Republic of Maldives is extremely vulnerable to rising sea level and the majority of its land area will be underwater by the end of this century.
the space we took
King Ranch, Texas, USA
The 3340km2 ranch in Texas is one of the biggest ranches in United States and in the world. Animal agriculture is the primary source of environmental destruction such as global warming, deforestation, pollutants, water use and ocean dead zones.
cold heart hot ice
The Arctic Sea
Global warming is severe in the Arctic. The area is warming at a rate of almost twice the global average. Sea ice is said to disappear in the summer within a generation, causing sea level rise, marine ecosystems collapse and extreme weather worldwide.
the being you will not know
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Climate change and ocean acidification have nearly killed the largest living structure on earth. The 25 million year old reef is called the most impressive marine area in the world, containing more biodiversity that the entire Europe. Mass-bleaching caused by greenhouse gases is the main cause of the death of the reef.
all the things we discovered
Chernobyl, Ukraine
The 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, former Soviet Union, af fected ecosystems all over Europe. Animals and vegetation in forest and mountain areas had high absorption of radiocaesium, with persistent high levels in mushrooms, berries and game.
deep desires
TTalvivaara mine, Finland
Talvivaara gypsum pond leak in 2012 is one of the worse mining disasters of our times. Since then the company has failed to fix the leak and the ongoing poisonous chemical waste cocktail has resulted in an ecological collapse.
the things we had
Nickel, Russia
Norilsk Nickel, Russia has long been called the most polluted city in Russia. It is declared one of the top 10 worst-polluted places in the world by the Blacksmiths Institute due to pollution and leaks from its factory and mine. Nickel produces large amounts of worlds nickel, copper and palladium used widely in objects such as cellphones and radiators.
glaciers you will not speak
Sólheimajökull, Iceland
Melting glaciers are one of the most visible signs of climate change. Sólheimajökull is a textbook example of how fast the melting occurs: over a century it has lost 2.2 sq.km of its front part and it has retreated the equivalent to the size of an Olympic swimming pool annually.
green deserts you will roam
Palm oil plantation, Malaysia
A large proportion of palm oil expansion occurs at the expense of biodiversity and ecosystems in the countries it is produced.
The industry is linked to major issues such as deforestation, habitat degradation, climate change and animal cruelty. The land and forests must be cleared for the development of the oil palm plantations.
the radiation you won't escape
Fukushima, Pacific Ocean
In 2011 three nuclear reactors melted down in Fukushima, Japan resulting into a largest release of radiation into the water in the history of the world. Radioactive chemicals leaked into the Pacific Ocean. The plant is s till leaking massive amounts of radioactive waste every day. Fukushima has contaminated the entire Pacific Ocean in just five years. Some people say this could easily be the worst environmental disaster in human history.
something about karma
Viiankiaapa swamp, Finland
Viiankiaapa is a large bog with a unique ecosystem, a rich variety of species and a huge nickel and ore deposit. Despite being under Natura 2000 protection Anglo American mining company is likely to gain permission for a mine.
deep into the earth we went
Picher, Oklahoma, USA
Picher is a ghost town and former city. It was a major national center of lead and zinc mining destroyed by mine waste. The waste is piled into huge mounds of toxic artificial hills that has polluted water and air.
the beasts we raised
Anna Creek Station, Australia
Anna Creek Station is the world's largest working cattle station. Methane emissions by life stock are a major contributor to global warming. Also irrigation problems, soil degradation and habitat loss are caused by cattle farming.
some fires burn deep
Athabasca Oil Sands, Alberta, Canada
Oil sands are huge deposits of bitumen that is turned into oil. The process cause widespread environmental damage such as the pollution of Athabasca River, toxins in the air, health hazards and greenhouse gas emissions.
dead desert life
Kalahari desert, Namibia/Angola/Zambia
Excessive, ongoing land use is damaging and destroying the Kalahari desert ecosystem and native tribes at rapid speech. Contributing issues are such as cattle farming, diamond mining and impact of human activity, primarily safaris. Particularly effected areas are, for example, are Okavango Delta wetlands, a Kalahari hotspot.
the colours we changed
Animas River, Colorado, USA
The 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill was an e nvironmental disaster that began at the Gold King Mine near S ilverton, Colorado when the accidental release of 3 million gallons of toxic waste water containing mercury and arsenic spilled into Animas River coloring the river yellow and spoiling the water. A year later the spill still wasn’t properly fixed.
the oil we spilled
BP oil spill, Gulf of Mexico
BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry and it is called the worst environmental disaster in US history. The US Government estimated the total discharge at 4.9 million barrels oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico.
the lungs we spoiled
The Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest is the world's largest intact forest. The region is home to 10 percent of all plant and animal species known on Earth. The rainforest plays an essential role in to controlling the entire planet’s atmospheric carbon levels. In the last 40 years, the Brazilian Amazon lost more than 18 percent of its rainforest to illegal logging, soy plantations, and cattle ranching. Most of the remaining forest is under threat.
furs you will not pet
Melting Greenland ice sheet, Greenland
The Greenland ice sheet is melting faster today than at any point in the last 350 years, according to a new study at Nature journal (lead by Luke Trusel). The research is the first continuous, multi-century analysis of melting and runoff ice sheet, one of the largest drivers of sea level rise globally. It concluded that the melt rates are off the charts and there was a 50 percent increase in total ice sheet melt water runoff versus the start of the industrial era.
collapsed, open wound
Melting permafrost and giant sinkholes, Siberian Tundra, Russia
The Siberian permafrost is melting at rapid speed. Permafrost last melted some 130,000 years ago, but the rate of melting this time is unprecedented and results into massive leakages of M ethane (CH4) which is a potent greenhouse gas roughly 30 times more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide (CO2). Under normal conditions, permafrost regulate the amount of carbon in the environment by taking up and storing significant portions of carbon that humans release from burning fossil fuel. In the case of Siberia, this equation is being reversed. A self-reinforcing feedback loop is created whereby warming releases more carbon, which in turn produces greater warming. The formation of the crater-like holes will have crucial ramifications for Siberia’s community and the environment at large. One theory suggests that the holes are created when trapped gases explode. Carbon dioxide and methane, both greenhouse gases, are released in the process.
we were okay
Baltic Sea
Baltic sea is said to be one of the most polluted seas in the world due to industrial waste, pollution, agriculture and traffic.
spilled black gold
Ongoing Kola Penisula oil disaster, Kola Penisula, Russia
An ongoing oil spillage in Kola Penisula, Russia is considered to be devastating to the environment and potentially worse than the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. So far around 500 tonnes of oil is spilled into the Arctic Ocean and the spill goes on. It is said the Russian Government and Gasprom are hiding the real damage and numbers.
opportunity of a meltdown
The Arctic Ocean Railway, Northern Finland
Climate change is opening up the Northern Sea Route faster than ever expected. Industry and politicians praise the idea to build a 500 km railroad from northern Finland to Norway’s Barents Sea coast. Sami people, among others, are concerned that such railroad would go through the Sami lands without regard for their rights, damaging the environment. Access to ice-free waters via the Barents Sea is seen as a way to boost Finland’s export from an area believed to hold huge mineral resources. The railroad would link Finland to a future trans-Arctic shipping lane through more and more ice-free waters on the top of the globe.
