Earth Day – The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

This week marks the arrival of one the year’s most notable environmental days, Earth Day.

According to The Earth Day Network, “April 22 — marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970….Earth Day broadens the base of support for environmental programs, rekindles public commitment and builds community activism around the world through a broad range of events and activities.”

Followers of my work will know that one of the main focuses of my projects over the years has been to increase awareness about environmental issues and highlight the impacts and conflicts that have arisen as a result of the clash between societies’ development and the natural world.

To mark Earth Day and the activities surrounding it, I put together a brief gallery of images that highlight what I believe to be the good, the bad and the ugly of our world today. I have seen all three in abundance and I hope these images will offer you a glimpse into what I have witnessed.

To learn more about the stories from which many of theses images originate, please visit the Environmental Stories section here on my website. If you would like to use any of the images, please contact my agency below for more details.

THE GOOD

Grasses and calm lake waters at sunset in the Zhalong wetlands.
Grasses and calm lake waters at sunset in the Zhalong wetlands.
A colorful yellow and orange jellyfish swimming in an aquarium.
A colorful yellow and orange jellyfish swimming in an aquarium.
A wide waterfall cascading over rocks into the waters below in the Jiuzhaigou national park in southern China.
A wide waterfall cascading over rocks into the waters below in the Jiuzhaigou national park in southern China.
A wind farm on the highlands of northern England.
Wind farm on the highlands of northern England.
The Li River winds through Guilin's karst mountains shrouded in mist.
The Li River winds through Guilin’s karst mountains shrouded in mist.

THE BAD

A coal-fired power station in the city of Faridkot, in north-west India.
A coal-fired power station in the city of Faridkot, in north-west India.
A young Vietnamese boy wearing an air pollution mask.
A young Vietnamese boy wearing an air pollution mask.
Smoke billows from a chimney of a leathery tannery factory in the Indian city of Kanpur.
Smoke billows from a chimney of a leathery tannery factory in the Indian city of Kanpur.
A man wipes sweat from his neck as air pollution hangs over the Forbidden City.
A man wipes sweat from his neck as air pollution hangs over the Forbidden City.
A fisherman holds a shark fin at the port in Jakarta.
A fisherman holds a shark fin at the port in Jakarta.

THE UGLY

Children run through the shallows of the Ganges River near to pollution from nearby leather factories.
Children run through the shallows of the Ganges River near to pollution from nearby leather factories.
A man walks past a river that has been completely covered with refuse in a slum community in Muara Baru, in north Jakarta.
A man walks past a river that has been completely covered with refuse in a slum community in Muara Baru, in north Jakarta.
Workers collect and sort through garbage at the Dhapa landfill in the west of Kolkata.
Workers collect and sort through garbage at the Dhapa landfill in the west of Kolkata.
A man cycles past a polluted water channel in the city of Jakarta, Indonesia.
A man cycles past a polluted water channel in the city of Jakarta, Indonesia.
A polluted river on the outskirts of Kolkata. Nearby factories release waste water which produces foam in the water.
A polluted river on the outskirts of Kolkata. Nearby factories release waste water which produces foam in the water.

Sean Gallagher April 22, 2015
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