Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

There's no denying that our planet is warming and sea levels are rising.

Extreme weather and environmental events, drought, and water shortages are on the rise.

The relentless drought that has been broiling California for more than four years shows no signs of letting up.

But California isn't the only parched region. One of the worst droughts in Brazil's history caused this lakebed of the Itumbiara hydroelectric dam to dry up in 2013, leaving these prone clamshells behind.

Heavy flooding events, such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana in 2005, will only get worse as sea levels climb.

Certain coastal areas could literally drown in water...

...Leaving behind remnants of past lives.

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

Invasions of crop-killing species, such as this swarm of locusts sweeping through Dakar in September, 2004, and other warm-weather pests are threatening food supplies.

And unprecedented levels of smog are layering a choking fog over densely populated cities in China and India.

The water in some regions of the world is so full of agricultural and chemical runoff that it creates explosions of algae, which can harm humans and natural ecosystems.

The green algae pulled from this lake in Hefei, Anhui province in Eastern China in 2009 almost looks like green acrylic paint.

And this bloom in Chaohu Lake in Chaohu city, Anhui province in 2013 looks like an abstract painting.

But algae isn't the only problem. Illegal dumping into waterways, like in this river polluted with red dye from a chemical plant Jianhe River in Luoyang, Henan province, is a big problem in many parts of the world.

Source: International Business Times

Scores of fish died in this lake in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, in 2007 due to excess levels of pollution and sweltering temperatures.

Source: Business Insider

But despite the increasing threats of climate change...

...Which could transform the icy plains of a frozen fjord in Norway into a sunbather's dream...

...People around the world are still making the best of all our incredible planet has to offer.

These boys converted a flooded rice field in Indonesia into a fun water slide.

And these sunbathers are taking the opportunity to soak in some rays at a sweltering beach in Berlin.

Our planet is still fertile, dynamic, and rich.

Our oceans and land support Earth's diverse creatures in life ...

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

...And reclaim them in death.

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

From the deepest depths of our oceans...

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

...To high above the clouds...

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

...Our planet is breathtaking.

Even from space...

...As illustrated by these incredible photos that astronaut Scott Kelly took from space...

...Our planet still looks incomprehensibly beautiful...

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

...Even from hundreds of miles above Earth.

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

Yes, our planet is changing.

But there are many things we're doing to protect it.

Which starts with bringing awareness to these changes on Earth Day.

And hopefully...

...It will retain its breathtaking beauty...

...For millennia to come.