Pollution

Large stainless steel beer brewing tanks and a tangle of hoses are visible behind a black-paned glass wall inside Parker County Brewing Company. The equipment is brightly lit, contrasting with the darker dining area in the foreground, where a wooden table with glasses, menus, and a red sauce bottle sits empty.

Brewer’s Trace

Beers brewed across the US contain PFAS, with some exceeding EPA limits.

An industrial factory emits thick plumes of smoke from multiple chimneys near the Yangtze River in China. The greyish-white smoke billows into the overcast sky, partially obscuring the green, terraced hills in the background. The factory complex is surrounded by dense vegetation in the foreground, contrasting sharply with the pollution above.

Proxy Measures

Democracies may appear greener by offshoring pollution, shifting environmental harm to less democratic countries.

A large wildfire burns across the hills behind a suburban neighbourhood in Santa Clarita, California, at night in October 2007. Bright flames and smoke fill the sky in the distance, while the foreground shows rows of illuminated homes under a dark sky. 

Ash Weight

Wildfire smoke exposure is linked to increased mental health emergencies, especially among children, women, and people from Black and Hispanic backgrounds.

Rows of industrial computer units mounted on blue metal shelving inside a cryptocurrency mining facility operated by Genesis Mining in Iceland. Each unit has visible cooling fans, and the space is brightly lit with exposed wiring and ventilation ducts along the ceiling.

The Cost of Crypto

Bitcoin mining in the US causes widespread air pollution, affecting millions due to fossil fuel use.

A large airtanker plane drops a vivid red cloud of fire retardant over a smoky, burning hillside in Chelan, Washington. The wildfire, part of the Chelan Complex fire, creeps dangerously close to residential homes nestled at the base of the hills. Thick smoke drifts across the landscape, partially obscuring the scorched terrain. The scene captures the intense effort to protect the community from the advancing flames.

Burned to Earth

Wildfire retardants have been found to contain toxic metals, impacting soil and water.

A polluted section of the Huron River shoreline in Michigan, where foamy, discoloured water swirls around fallen tree trunks and debris. A slick, pale layer of contamination floats on the water's surface, contrasting with the dark, reflective river. Green leaves sprout from the foreground, juxtaposing natural growth with visible pollution.

Leavings

PFAS are persistent chemical pollutants, but bacteria can help degrade them over time.

A vast, turbulent expanse of the Southern Ocean, with deep blue waves crested by white foam, under a grey, misty sky that blends with the horizon.

Tangled Currents

Microplastics are endangering the Southern Ocean’s ecosystem.

A traffic jam in Mumbai. There are lots of cars and pollution.

Shrouds of Ash

India’s air pollution causes millions of deaths, highlighting the need for stricter regulations and interventions.

A street lit by artificial light with people stood looking lost.

Lost in the Night Light

Nighttime light exposure has been linked to increased Alzheimer’s disease risk, especially in younger people.

Wasted Mussels

Radium from oil wastewater contaminates rivers and freshwater mussels, highlighting the need for stricter environmental controls.