13 ’Cool’ Photos Where the World Is Actually Crying for Help, and It’s Heartbreaking

3. Is it a cute photo with a seahorse? Nope, it’s an ecological catastrophe

© National Geographic / Planet or Plastic  

It seems as if this seahorse wants to take this Q-tip out of the ocean and help keep it clean. But in fact, it’s holding the Q-tip to drift along with the current. Under normal conditions, seahorses cling to algae, not plastic debris.

National Geographic started a huge campaign called ’Planet or Plastic?’ Its goal is to visually demonstrate how harmful uncontrolled waste disposal is for nature. This photo is a part of the project.