Sharafkhaneh port and lake Urmia. Masoud Ghadiri (Iran). The summer Milky Way is very prominent in this photo. On the galaxy zone, Saturn is located besides the Lagoon nebula. On the right of the horizon, you can see the extreme light pollution of Urmia, which is caused by ever-increasing city development. (Photo by Masoud Ghadiri/National Maritime Museum)

An airplane is silhouetted at sunrise, seen from the suburb of Saint-Cloud, near Paris, France, 08 December 2016. Paris is undergoing a third day pollution spike, prompting the city to limit vehicle circulation. (Photo by Ian Langsdon/EPA)

Chisanga Mwila dressed as Ariel from The Little Mermaid on Cullercoats beach, Newcastle on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 ahead of the 2023 live-action remake of the film as part of an awareness campaign from sustainable toilet paper company Oceans highlighting the negative impact of marine pollution on the British coastline. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

A women wearing a mask to protect from extreme smog visits the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing December 8, 2015 as China's capital issues its first ever "red alert" for pollution. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

Iraqi teenagers swim in waste water from the nearby Tuweitha nuclear facility near Baghdad, Iraq on May 28, 2003. Iraqis are consuming contaminated water unaware of the dangerous pollutants that can cause severe ill health. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

(From front to back) Carson, Rosie and Charlie Surfs Up compete during the World Dog Surfing Championships in Pacifica, California, on August 5, 2023. The event helps local charities raise money by sponsoring a contestant or a team, with a portion of the proceeds going to dog, environmental, and surfing nonprofit organizations. (Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP Photo)

A weather vane on a farm building close to the HS2 line on November 24, 2020 in Great Missenden, England. HS2 protesters continue to occupy key infrastructure sites along the proposed HS2 route claiming that the project is “the most carbon-intensive and environmentally destructive project in UK history”. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

People in Kathmandu joke that the face mask has now become part of the national dress – an indispensable accessory in an effort to protect themselves from the dust. Nepal has the worst air quality in the world, according to the Environmental Performance Index. (Photo by Pete Pattisson/The Guardian)