Editor's Note:
Stunningly brilliant colors disguise appalling scenes of pollution caused by human activities, like oil spills, waste emissions and discharge, desertification. June 5 marked World Environment Day, and efforts worldwide have been proposed to beat plastic pollution and protect the only planet we have.
A dust cloud engulfs Sydney, Australia, and the surrounding areas on September 23, 2009. Photo: VCG 
A child swims among explosively growing algae off the coast of Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province, on July 17, 2011. Photo: VCG 
Large amounts of empty capsules were dumped in a 300 meter long drain ditch in Zhengzhou, Central China’s Henan Province, on April 21, 2012. Photo: VCG
