The scariest thing inside: what the cover of the new issue of National Geographic magazine hides

National Geographic magazine has launched a campaign called "Planet or Plastic?" (Planet or Plastic?), which has become a shocking discovery for humanity. Of course, many people are aware of the problem of plastic and its detrimental effect on nature. Someone even guesses that the problem is serious. But few people have encountered the terrible scale of plastic garbage.

While everyone is discussing the bright cover of the new issue and recognizing it as the best in the entire history of the publication, the most terrible thing is hidden on the pages of the issue. Heartbreaking footage shows how 9 million tons of plastic garbage thrown out annually destroy nature and wild animals. Scientists and researchers of the journal hope that they will convey to even more people information about the long-term harmful effects of plastic, how it decomposes into small particles and eventually ends up in our food chain and how garbage gets into the depths of the ocean.

Source: Bored Panda

One of the goals of the publication's information campaign is to find a way to change the consumption of plastic. If consumers and like-minded organizations work together to solve the problem at a fundamental level, then giant corporations will finally think and respond to public opinion by reducing the amount of plastic they use.

A photographer freed a stork from a plastic bag at one of the landfills for the disposal of garbage in Spain. Moreover, one such package can kill far more than once: the bodies of dead animals decompose, and plastic continues to live.

National Geographic itself has set an example — now their magazines are packed in paper, not plastic. Because even a tiny change will still help. The magazine has determined that plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic tubes are among those products whose approach to consumption we are able to change by reducing their use.

Under the bridge of the Buriganga River in Bangladesh, a family removes labels from plastic bottles, sorts green and transparent bottles and passes them to a scrap dealer. On average, garbage collectors earn $100 a month.

"For 130 years, National Geographic has been documenting the history of our planet, showing people around the world the breathtaking beauty of the planet, as well as what threatens its existence," said Gary I. Nell, chief executive Officer of National Geographic. "Every day our researchers and photographers witness the devastating effects of single—use plastic in the oceans, and the situation is only getting worse."

The main supplier of plastic is packaging materials. Currently, about half of all plastic garbage on the planet is not recycled or incinerated.

"The Sibeles Fountain is littered with plastic bottles in the center of Madrid. Last fall, the art collective Luzinterruptus filled Sibeles and two other Madrid fountains with 60 thousand discarded bottles to draw attention to the problem of ecology."

"An old plastic fishing net trapped a turtle in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain. The turtle could have stretched out its neck to gulp air, but would have starved to death if the photographer hadn't freed it."

On the Japanese island of Okinawa, a hermit crab hid in a plastic lid. People collect shells on the beach, which are usually used by crayfish, and leave behind garbage.

"Seahorses grab onto drifting algae to navigate underwater currents. In the polluted waters of the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, this seahorse grabbed a plastic stick. A frame that shouldn't be there," said photographer Justin Hoffman.

Around the world, about a million drinks in plastic bottles are sold every minute.

Animals have to live in a world of plastic garbage. Like these hyenas at the Ethiopian city of Harer. They listen for garbage trucks to arrive, and then look for food in the garbage.

By 2050, every species of seabird on the planet will eat plastic.

In 2015, more than 6.9 billion tons of plastic garbage were produced. About 9 percent has been recycled, 12 percent has been burned, 79 percent has been dumped at landfills.

Every day after sunset in the Indian city of Kalyan, garbage collectors begin their rounds. A flock of birds joins them.

After collection, plastic garbage is washed in the Buriganga River, Bangladesh, spread out and dried, periodically turning over. Then it will be sold and recycled. Less than one fifth of plastic waste is recycled worldwide.

Colored plastic garbage was washed and manually sorted on the riverbank. About 120,000 people work informally in the recycling industry in the capital of Bangladesh, where 18 million residents produce about 11,000 tons of garbage every day.

"The largest processing plant in San Francisco processes from 500 to 600 tons per day. One of the few factories in the USA that accepts packages."

Trucks filled with plastic bottles arrived at a processing plant in the Philippine city of Valenzuela. Garbage was collected on the streets of the capital Manila by collectors who sell it to dealers.

China is the largest producer of plastic. It accounts for more than a quarter of the world's total plastic volume, most of which is exported.

"With the help of the "Planet or Plastic?" campaign, we will share up-to-date information about the impending crisis and, based on science and research, we will teach our audience around the world how to get rid of the use of disposable plastic and prevent even more garbage from appearing in our oceans."