Environment

J Henry Fair.
Heavy Metal Waste From Fertilizer Production. This is one of the top 10% most polluting factories in the USA. It is known to be a major emitter of lead, but the fertilizer industry in particular has been effective in pressuring the EPA to reduce the reporting requirements to which it is subject, making the clear picture of its emissions difficult.


Environment

"Population pressures, unsustainable practices, and consumption have led to severe pressures on our world. Much of the planet's land base is degraded by various forms of land use: overgrazing has degraded 680 million hectares worldwide, deforestation (580 million hectares), agricultural mismanagement (550 million hectares), fuel wood consumption (137 million hectares), and industry and urbanization (19.5 million hectares). Approximately 50% of our planet's land mass is occupied by forestry, agriculture, and livestock."

-Tensie Whelan. From the article People and the Planet. From the book Badlands: New Horizons in Landscape.

This is actually appalling, yet not that hard to grasp for me and probably many others. Industry and progression in technology and our technological and agricultural needs are putting tremendous stress on our planet and environment. The numbers are there and things aren't getting better. We currently have 6.5 Billion people living here, and within a decade it's sure to reach 7 Billion. That means more industry and more needs that will need to be manufactured and created with the current state of our lands. We must point out and create meaning and solutions to these problems that will only grow substantially.

"The redesign of our world will need artists to provide imagination, creativity and emotional connections - both to the mess we have created and to the possibilities we can create together."

-Tensie Whelan. From the article People and the Planet. From the book Badlands: New Horizons in Landscape.

What I feel is powerful about this quote is that it is a call to artists to change the world. To redesign what we know to be detrimental to our planet, our health, and the way we live our lives. We as artist have a responsibility, to create. But, as we create we need to allow ourselves to understand that we're all in this mess together, and as creatives, we need to analyze the situation and create something positive about the changing of our natural landscapes and urban territories. Especially photographers and people working in the realm of the visual arts. We have a gift that many don not. We can see things in a different light, so we need to act and become instrumental in our work and aim for a new tomorrow, today.