Documerica/Public Domain
In the early 1970s, an amazing photojournalism project called Documericacaptured a polluted nation in the midst of establishing its first major environmental protections. Documerica was sponsored by the fledgling E.P.A., which hoped to document and examine the extent of the country's environmental troubles. A team of talented photographers was assembled to shoot, in breathtaking, uncompromising detail, the unchecked air pollution, contaminated waterways, hazardous coal mines, and some truly disturbing waste issues across the U.S.
The National Archives has just published the project online, and the results are stunning. Here's a glimpse of what the nation would look like without environmental protections and the efforts of the E.P.A. to enforce them.
Have you ever wondered, for instance, what it would look like if we were to burn an industrial helping of automobile batteries? If so, you'll be glad to know it looked just like the photo pictured up top.
Below, take a look at the streets of Cleveland, circa 1973.
Frank Aleksandrowicz for Documerica/Public Domain
