The greatest peak in the world has become one of the greatest exhibits of evidence for cynics who subscribe to the idea that humans ruin everything.
A poster on the r/interestingasf*** subreddit shared a concerning video revealing the environmental impact of climbing the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest. (Click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear.)
The post succinctly described the scene in the video as "Mount Everest covered in waste, including lots of human excrement."
On display was a dirty camp that featured waste, tents, discarded equipment, and other debris from expeditions. Climbing Everest requires a boatload of money and training, but clearly little of that investment goes toward abiding by the "Leave No Trace" principle.
Instead, as National Geographic reported, each climber leaves about 18 pounds of trash, which the local Sherpa community and government often clean up without compensation. The fallout can be dangerous when it comes to polluting the local water supply with plastic and human waste, as ZME Science detailed.
To be sure, Nepal has tried to deal with the problem through a series of measures. Raising climbing fees did little to diminish Everest's allure. An attempt to use a waste deposit fee to dissuade pollution was abandoned because it was ineffective, per the BBC.
The newly unveiled Everest Cleaning Action Plan could make a dent in the waste problem. Using drones and other advanced tech is another route that's shown promise.
Still, rescuing Everest from its reputation as "the world's highest garbage dump" will take years and action from climbers and governments. Spreading awareness with pictures and videos can add urgency and pressure on all stakeholders to preserve this iconic site for future generations.
Redditors were disheartened by the state of the mountain.
"Humans are a plague," one wrote. "This is so disgusting and so sad."
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Save $1,000 this year 💸 "'Look how beautiful it is here!' Promptly leaves garbage. It seems to be the human way, on top of Everest all the way down to the local park," another user lamented. "Sickening."
"Everest was never meant to be some touristy adventure club thing," someone else suggested.
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