You won’t believe just how bad the pollution problem in China has become. China is the most populous country on the planet, and with economic growth rate at over 10% the environment is paying a heavy toll.

Pollution in China remains largely  unchecked and as a result the country contains some of the dirtiest air in the world. Hence why people walk through the city wearing dust masks for protection against the thick clouds of smog. China is home to many polluted, unusable waterways, as well as swaths of garbage-infested land.

These shocking photos reveal how bad China’s pollution problem has become. Hopefully these images help spark action before it’s too late!

1. There is a fake Hong Kong skyline for tourists, as the real skyline is covered in smog

Photo Credit: Molly Smith

2. Two fisherman navigate their boat through the algae-filled Chaohu Lake in Hefei, Anhui Province

Photo Credit: Jianan Yu

3. Woman walks through the smog that covers Beijing

In Beijing particle pollution is 40x the International Safety Standard.

Photo Credit: Kyodo News

China is trying to do something about the problem in terms of creating long-term sustainable commitments to the environment. For instance, in 2010 China was ranked as the leading investor in low-carbon energy technology.

Even though Chinese leaders are vowing to change and look after the planet’s interests, it’s going to be difficult with such rapid expansion, especially considering how bad China’s pollution problems remain.

4. Young boy drinks water from polluted stream in Fuyuan County, Yunnan Province

Photo Credit: Reuters

5. Worker clears dead fish out of a lake in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei Province

Photo Credit: Reuters

6. Boy takes a swim through algae-filled water in Qingdao, Shandong

Photo Credit: Reuters

7. Worker attempting the impossible task of removing oil from water in Dalian, Liaoning

Photo Credit: Reuters

8. Journalist taking a sample from the polluted red waters of the Jianhe River

Photo Credit: Reuters

Cheaply made products direct from China don’t come as cheap as their price tag suggests. In order to keep costs down factories shortcut important steps, and as a result entire ecosystems have been destroyed. For instance, unregulated dumping takes place in many of China’s rivers, leading to terrible environmental results.

9. Beijing buildings covered in smog

Photo Credit: China FotoPress

10. Child splashes around in a polluted reservoir in Pingba

Photo Credit: Reuters

11. Workers attempt to remove sewage water as it leaks from a sewage tank in Shanghang, Fujian

Photo Credit: Reuters

12. Kid tries to avoid stepping in trash walking down flooded street in Shantou, Guangdong Province

Photo Credit: Reuters

13. Workers attempt to clean trash from the heavily polluted Yangtze River

Photo Credit: Reuters

14. Dead fish fill the algae-rich waters of East Lake, Wuhan

Algae deplete water of oxygen, leading to death of marine life.

Photo Credit: Reuters

15. Woman collects plastic bottles along a river polluted with dye

Photo Credit: lu palmerini

16. Pollution pours out of a factory in Yutian, located 100km east of Beijing

Photo Credit: Peter Parks

17. Even the Great Wall Of China is polluted

Photo Credit: Sa Cha

18. River polluted beyond recognition in Jiaxing, Zhejiang

Photo Credit: Reuters

19. Man walks near pipe that pours wastewater into the Yangtze River

Photo Credit: William Hong

20. Fishermen collecting fish from a polluted canal in Beijing

Photo Credit:  David Gray

21. Smog particles settle with fog at ground level early in the morning, Tianjin

Photo Credit: Barnaby Skinner

22. Residents stare at a river polluted in garbage in Zhugao, Sichuan Province

Photo Credit: independent.co.uk

23. Abandoned chemicals soak into the surrounding soil in Pamir mountain range, Xinjiang

Photo Credit: Barnaby Skinner

When we forget about the fragility of planet Earth, when we waste, pollute, and ignore the gifts of Mother Nature, tragedy is soon to follow.