FIGURE 5.6 Photo Essay: Human Impacts on the Biosphere in Russia and the Post-Soviet States The region is home to some of the worst pollution on the planet. More than 70 years of industrial development with few environmental safeguards have wreaked havoc on ecosystems. Industries are attempting to become cleaner, but decades may pass before significant improvements are realized. 5.6a Courtesy Randy Olson/National Geographic/Getty Images, 5.6b Courtesy NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the University of Maryland’s Global Land Cover Facility. Image interpretation provided by Dr. Gareth Rees and Dr. Olga Tutubalina, Scott Polar Research Institute, 5.6c Courtesy WIN-Initiative/Getty Images, 5.6d Courtesy Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr./Bloomberg via Getty Images