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)

Argentinian twin dancers Nicolas Filipeli and German Filipeli perform during the Tango Stage final competition at the Tango Dance World Championship in Buenos Aires on August 21, 2019. (Photo by Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP Photo)

A juvenile leopard cat, seized by authorities during an anti-smuggling operation, is seen past suspected smugglers during a press conference announcing the seizure of trafficked exotic animals in Surabaya on March 27, 2019. Indonesian authorities said March 27 they had seized five komodo dragons and dozens of other animals being sold on Facebook, as the country battles to clamp down on the illegal wildlife trade. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto/AFP Photo)

The hair of CSKA Moscow cheerleaders flies high as they perform during the Euroleague Basketball game between Alba Berlin and CSKA Moscow in Moscow, Russia, 04 February 2022. (Photo by Yuri Kochetkov/EPA/EFE)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a passenger jet that veered off a runway during take-off and caught fire is seen in the aftermath in Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in southwestern China's Chongqing Thursday, May 12, 2022. The Chinese passenger jet left the runway upon takeoff and caught fire in western China on Thursday morning, and several people were injured. (Photo by Liu Chan/Xinhua via AP Photo)

Tupolev Tu-142MK, a Soviet and Russian maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft flies above a statue of Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin during a rehearsal of the Naval parade in St.Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, July 28, 2022. The celebration of Navy Day in Russia is traditionally marked on the last Sunday of July and will be celebrated on July 31 this year. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)

A cat sits underneath lanterns displayed at Tai O fishing village on September 07, 2022 in Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong prepares ahead to celebrate the mid-autumn festival which is an occasion for a children's night out and family gathering with the customs of moon contemplating, a procession of star and moon-shaped lanterns, lion dance, as well as holding parties with moon cakes and fruits. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

Ethnic San Chi women dressed in traditional costumes play a friendly football match as part of the Soong Co festival celebrations in northern Vietnam's Quang Ninh province on April 24, 2021. (Photo by Nhac Nguyen/AFP Photo)