Balinese girls in traditional costumes gather during a parade for this year's last sundown in Bali island, Indonesia Thursday, December 31, 2015. (Photo by Firdia Lisnawati/AP Photo)
Growing cities, overuse of fertilizers and factory wastewater have degraded China's water supplies to the extent that half the nation's rivers and lakes are severely polluted. China aims to spend $850 billion to improve filthy water supplies over the next decade, but even such huge outlays may do little to reverse damage caused by decades of pollution and overuse in Beijing's push for rapid economic growth. Photo: Fishermen row a boat in the algae-filled Chaohu Lake in Hefei, Anhui province, June 19, 2009. (Photo by Jianan Yu/Reuters)
A family pose for a picture as thousands of redheads fill a Dutch city Breda to celebrate International Redhead Day event in Breda, The Netherlands on Sunday, 4 September 2016. Every year natural redheads from more than 80 countries come together at “Roodharigendag” annual weekend long festival to celebrate their ginger genes. The event also holds the world record for the largest number of natural redheads being in one place. (Photo by Akmen/London News Pictures)
Girls play with live Teacup pigs, a rare pet in the country, at the start of celebrations leading to the Lunar New Year, Friday, February 1, 2019 at Lucky Chinatown Plaza mall in Manila, Philippines. The upcoming Year of the Pig represents abundance, diligence and generosity. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)
“Lofoten Glow”. I was desperately searching a good sunrise spot this particular morning. Normally Storvatnet Lake is completely covered in snow, so you can only imagine my surprise when I saw these crazy ice formations almost being shot out of the frozen lake. I put my crampons on and took a big risk walking out. I could hear the ice cracking underneath my feet, and when you’re all alone in a fjord/canyon like this – the cracks are echoed and sound really frightening. Was it worth it? I sure think so! Photo location: Storvatnet, Lofoten Islands in Northern Norway. (Photo and caption by Stian Klo/National Geographic Photo Contest)
A student from “the cliff village” in Atule'er climbs newly-constructed steel ladders after school to go home for holidays, in Liangshan Sichuan province, China, November 19, 2016. The steel ladders which replaced the unsafe vine ladders shortened the time taken for the children to go home, from three hours to two. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)