Large cities and industrial enterprises have polluted the air, water, and land across the world. Each year, industry pollutes the atmosphere with 1000 million tons of dust and harmful substances, causing smog in many cities. Vast forests are cut down and burned, upsetting the oxygen balance and causing some animal and plant species to disappear forever. The Chernobyl tragedy of 1986 caused major ecological damage to Ukraine, Belarus, and their people's health and agriculture. Protecting the environment is a global concern, and countries have started taking measures like establishing environmental protection agencies and organizations like Greenpeace, but more work remains to be done to preserve nature for current and future generations.