Flow of water is discharged through the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang City, in central China's Hubei Province. Built to control the Yangtze River's flooding, the dam has instead caused flooding -- and a host of other problems -- in surrounding areas
Image Credit: AP Photo/Xinhua/Du Huaju
Dam flooding isn't the only way man and water can clash. Seen here is the Exxon Valdez oil tanker, which in 1989 struck a reef in Alaskan waters and bled millions of gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, causing one of history's worst environmental disasters.
Image Credit: AP Photo
In 2010, another oil spill, this one in the Gulf of Mexico, caused headlines and environmental concerns worldwide. A British Petroleum oil rig explosion led to this massive spill. This oil sheen off the coast of Louisiana is just a glimpse at how much oil spread throughout the water.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Offshore windmill projects, like this one in the North Sea, seek to provide cleaner power to homes on shore. Placing the windmills in the sea keeps them out of the way of humans, as well as away from the migration routes of birds.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Heribert Proepper
Meanwhile, back on dry land, gridlocked cities create carbon-emission nightmares, leaving the cities shrouded in smog, as seen in this emblematic shot of Los Angeles. Smog is not only bad for the environment, but it's also dangerous for humans and other animals.
Image Credit: Medioimages/Photodisc
All of those carbon-emitting cars won't get very far without the spoils from oil wells across the globe. Man's reliance on fossil fuels will continue to be a threat to the environment until a feasible alternative is in place.
Image Credit: Thinkstock
It's not just oil that's causing environmental problems. Coal generates a lot of electricity, but it's a dirty fossil fuel that produces vast amounts of carbon emissions.
Image Credit: Comstock/Thinkstock
Mining in general can pose environmental problems, such as in the practice of strip mining, which involves removing the top layer of soil and rock to reach minerals. Here, a group of environmental activists protests at Massey Energy in Mammoth, W.Va.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Gentner
One way man can help the environment is to use energy resources more conservatively. Here is the historic Trevi fountain in Rome, with all the lights off. It was part of a worldwide, one-hour shut-off of electricity staged to highlight environmental concerns.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Angelo Carconi
Is overpopulation part of the problem? Some scientists think that current global population growth rates will put a strain on the Earth's resources.
Image Credit: Goodshoot/Thinkstock
Another unkindness man pays to the environment is slash-and-burn agriculture, or the cutting down of forests to make room for crops. Here, forest rangers confiscate wood after a raid at an illegal logging site in Aceh province, Indonesia.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Heri Juanda
Overfishing, or taking more fish out of a body of water than are replaced through reproduction, is yet another way in which man has harmed the environment. Here, Greenpeace activists hold a protest banner in front of a factory trawler.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Robert Visser/Greenpeace
Environmental accidents aren't limited to oil spills. Shown here is the famous Three Mile Island nuclear facility in Pennsylvania. In 1979, the plant started leaking radioactive steam and contaminating the area.
Image Credit: AP Photo
Even when things don't go wrong at a nuclear power plant, there's still the question of where to dispose of its waste material. Shown here are some of the 3,776 canisters of uranium waste being buried at Waste Control Specialists near Andrews, Texas.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Betsy Blaney
While we're on the subject of waste disposal, it's not just the radioactive kind that can make a mess. Rivers can carry all kinds of pollution. Here, scavengers collect plastic bags as cattle feed in a garbage dump along the Tawi River in India.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Channi Anand
Plastic bags aren't the only environmental ne'er do well: Polystyrene, a.k.a. Styrofoam, is also an enemy of the Earth. It's not biodegradable, and unfortunately, it will probably outlive most landfills.
Image Credit: Getty Images
Many of those non-biodegradable plastics, along with tons of other garbage, end up in the oceans. Some wash up on shore, while others remain in the water, creating serious hazards for ocean life.
Image Credit: NOAA Marine Debris Program
This unfortunate sea turtle found itself a victim of ocean pollution when it became tangled in an old fishing net that was not disposed of properly. While this turtle was rescued and rehabilitated, many other ocean dwellers are not so lucky.
Image Credit: Ocean Conservancy
Global warming is a hot-button issue with environmentalists and politicians alike. Have we reached an irreversible state of global warming? Many experts say it's not too late, and there are ways to fight the problem.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of the U.S. House of Representatives
Reducing carbon emissions is vital in the war against global warming, and every little bit helps. Carbon capture and recycling could also help us reverse the global warming trend.
Image Credit: Hemera/Thinkstock
Nuclear power accidents aren't just a thing of the past. Here, residents who live near the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan undergo a radiation screening test.
Image Credit: Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images
While fish is generally a heart-healthy dinner choice, some fish contain mercury that's leaked into the ocean by coal-burning power plants and other industrial sites.
Image Credit: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
With new technology constantly rendering old electronics obsolete, the question of how to dispose of "e-waste" properly becomes important. Here, a Greenpeace activist talks about the dangers of electronic waste.
Image Credit: Jay Directo/Stinger/Getty Images
Invasive species, or nonnative species introduced to a new region by humans, can wreak havoc on ecosystems. Here, members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission collect Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades.
Now that you've seen man's destruction of the environment in pictures, check out our list of the Top 10 Ways to Save the Environment!
Image Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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