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)

The Chinese-flagged cargo ship Yu Zhou Qi Hang, which ran aground near Yehliu Geopark as a result of rough weather relating to typhoon Kong-rey, is seen in Yehliu on November 1, 2024. Taiwan on November 1 raced to remove 284 tonnes of oil from the Chinese carrier that ran aground off the island after losing power in rough seas as Typhoon Kong-rey neared. (Photo by I-Hwa Cheng/AFP Photo)

In this August 31, 2017, photo, mock fish are displayed to offer to the ancestors during the “Hungry Ghost Festival” in Hong Kong. Countless hungry and restless ghosts are roaming Hong Kong, and the world, to visit their living ancestors, at least according to Chinese convention. In traditional Chinese belief, the seventh month of the lunar year is reserved for the Hungry Ghost festival, or Yu Lan, a raucous celebration marked by feasts and music. (Photo by Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

A girl stands against strong wind caused by Typhoon Mangkhut at a pier on the waterfront of Victoria Habour Hong Kong, Sunday, September 16, 2018. Hong Kong and southern China hunkered down as strong winds and heavy rain from Typhoon Mangkhut lash the densely populated coast. The biggest storm of the year left at least 28 dead from landslides and drownings as it sliced through the northern Philippines. (Photo by Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

The Revere Hotel in Boston, Ma. celebrated its grand opening on April 18 with a vertical fashion show. The Boston Rock Gym provided the models who rappelled down the exterior of the 24-story hotel wearing outfits created by the students from the Massachusetts College of Arts and Design and by Ted Baker London.

Photo: A model walks down the side of Revere Hotel in Boston during a vertical fashion show for the Massachusetts College of Art and Design on April 18, 2012. (Photo by Dominick Reuter/EPA/Lauren Fish/Lauren Frohne/Globe photo)

A woman dressed in a cheongsam interacts gracefully with vibrant fish lanterns at Kwai Chai Hong, a heritage revival alley in Chinatown, on January 09, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kwai Chai Hong celebrates the Lunar New Year with an immersive art installation titled Bountiful Blessings, inspired by the idiom “Nian Nian You Yu”, which translates to “Wishing an Abundance Year After Year”, blending traditional fish lanterns with modern lights to inspire abundance and prosperity, inviting visitors to embark on a cultural journey of generosity and abundance for future generations. (Photo by Annice Lyn/Getty Images)

“El rio mas bonito del Mundo”, the most beautiful river of the world, the “River of five colors”, the “Rainbow River”, or even the “Escaped from Paradise”, are the shimmering appellations that Colombians give to Cano Cristales, a small stream located in the heart of the Macarena National Park, 150 km (93 miles) south of Bogota. Photo: A waterfall is seen at the end of the rainy season, in August, when the water level finally decreases, in the Cano Cristales RIver in the Sierra de la Macarena in Colombia. It has become covered with a bright pink endemic aquatic plant, Macarenia Clavigera. (Photo by Olivier Grunewald)