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The delicate pink sakura, or cherry blossom, is one of nature's most beautiful gifts. These beautiful trees bloom every spring, but their magical grace never seems to get old. They are a part of Japanese culture and tradition, and their blooming is considered there one of the most beautiful and joyous occasions of the year. There is a tradition called 'hanami', in which families picnic under a sakura tree. So let's enjoy the remarkable beauty of this tree's colorful blossoms. |
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Lara R.
You Won’t Believe How Bad Pollution In China Has Become.
August 27, 2014 With a newly-minted elite and an economic growth rate of over 10%, the environment has taken a backseat in China, the world’s most populous country. Growing pollution has led to unusable waterways, increased incidence of birth defects, and some of the dirtiest air on earth. It’s so nasty that there’s now a word for it: “smogpocalypse”. With that said, China is not oblivious to its ecological impacts, and according to the Harvard Business Review “is taking this challenge much more seriously than others… doing things differently, making longer-term, sustained commitments that are much larger.” In 2010, China ranked as the world’s leading investor in low-carbon energy technology, which makes sense given national political leaders’ tendency to view clean energy as a great economic opportunity. The following photographs prove that economic growth indeed comes at a cost, and one whose long-term effects remain unclear:
A boy swims in dense algal blooms in Qingdao, which are caused by excessive agricultural runoff and lead to 'dead zones' that become inhospitable for both flora and fauna.
A journalist takes a sample of the Jianhe River, which has become red from chemical plants illegally dumping untreated waste water directly into a local stream.
Scientists recently warned that air pollution in China has become so severe that it could lead to the equivalent of a nuclear winter across the country.
Pressure on local resources has created a country-wide issue with clean water. Here, a lake in Hefei contains a sizable surface layer of pollutants and algae.
In 2010, a blast in an oil storage facility in Dalian led to over 400 million gallons of oil being spilled. For comparison's sake, that's over four times the size of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
On January 12, 2013, air quality index levels in Beijing were so hazardous that they were beyond existing measurement.
Residents look at the heavily polluted river that cuts through the city of Zhugao in Sichuan province.
As China's demand for energy has soared, the incidence of oil spills and gas-related pollution will only increase
Air pollution has become so problematic that school and work closures due to smog are a regular occurrence in major cities.
Trash collection and disposal is more of a luxury than a fact of life. In rural areas, local bodies of water act as the de facto location for garbage disposal.
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