More than any other creature that calls Earth home, humans have played an enormous role in shaping our environmental landscape. We have taken it upon ourselves to chop down forests and construct houses, offices and industrial complexes. We decide what natural areas are “worth” preserving and should be left alone while using the surrounding “unprotected” space for farms, malls, or whatever other purpose we see fit.

Sadly, our society and culture has developed in such a way that we don’t see the intrinsic worth of things like plants or animals, but rather view the world around us in terms of monetary value. This unbalanced view of the planet has led us down a seemingly never ending path of environmental destruction and we’re currently having to deal with the consequences in the form of Climate change. But not all hope is lost.

We still have the power to undue some of the damage we’ve done to the planet and start to repair the scars we’ve left on the natural world, but in order for us to do this, we first have to understand the scope of the problem. Greenpeace is working to raise awareness for our current environmental plight in the form of a breathtaking new ad campaign.

Designed by McCann Worldwide India, the ads illustrate the world as a yin-yang symbol that represents duality and interdependence.

One of the advertisements focuses on the oceans and shows the many ways people have influenced the marine environment.

The amazing detail put into each panel brings the complexity of our relationship with these natural entities into question. Here we see the devastation of an oil spill side-by-side with a massive tsunami. 

Feeding off the oil spill, we see the cruelty and violence of marine animal hunts. Only a small portion of the image shows marine animals living in peace and harmony.

There is a clear unbalance between destruction and preservation in these images evident in the land-based ad as well.

As we continue to grow and develop, it is incredibly important that we remember everything we create comes with a consequence.

Urban sprawl is choking out the natural world.

While a few wild places still exist, they are few and far between.

We should never forget that the natural world doesn’t us to survive — we need it.

We’re responsible for throwing off the balance, so now it’s up to us to bring it back.