These pumpjacks are two of 1.1 million oil and gas wells currently active in the United States. The first commercially successful oil wells were drilled in Texas in 1894, and over the next century global emissions of carbon dioxide increased by more than 16 times. The concentration of carbon in the atmosphere reached a new high in 2013, nearly 400 parts per million, an increase of 142 percent since the Industrial Revolution.

Coronado Feeders, Dalhart, Texas (2012)

Detail, Coronado Feeders, Dalhart, Texas (2012)

Of all human activities, farming— particularly livestock production—has had possibly the single greatest impact on the planet. It consumes 70 percent of all accessible freshwater, occupies about 38 percent of the Earth’s land mass, and is responsible for around 14 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. In factory farms, urine and manure are stored in “lagoons” that can contain up to 45 million gallons of wastewater and release toxic gases such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and methane. New legislation has made it illegal in several states to film or photograph any part of the factory farm process.