The most important work of my editorial life. @handheldproductions, my fearless leader, my greatest collaborator. Thank you for this opportunity to do what fills my heart. @luisestauss @pspella, thank you. I first read Ed Yong’s writing at the gym; his words got my heart rate up faster than my workout. To all the humans and organizations who made this happen, I will thank you individually on each post. 8 cities in a week and a half. Dozens of beautiful creatures. I collaborated on this project in large part with my dearest friend, @elcimages, but it was also the first time my father, @yahyaasgharnia, and my cousin, @golzad, were able to be on set with me. ・・・ Much of the devastation that humans have inflicted on the environment is familiar. But one phenomenon is often ignored, Ed Yong writes: sensory pollution.⁠ ⁠ For our latest cover story, Yong explores how human-made light and noise have degraded animal habitats. “By barraging different animals with stimuli of our own making, we have distracted them from what they actually need to sense, drowned out the cues they depend upon, and lured them into sensory traps. All of this is capable of doing catastrophic damage,” Yong writes. “While the idea of light as a pollutant is jarring to us, it becomes one when it creeps into places where it doesn’t belong. Widespread light at night is a uniquely anthropogenic force. Sounds, too, are pollutants par excellence. They can degrade habitats that look idyllic and make otherwise livable places unlivable.”⁠ ⁠ The solution to this problem, however, is easier to execute than other climate-preservation methods. “Radioactive waste can take millennia to degrade. Persistent chemicals like the pesticide DDT can thread through the bodies of animals long after they are banned. Plastics will continue to despoil the oceans even if all plastic production halts tomorrow,” Yong writes at the link in our bio. “But light pollution ceases as soon as lights are turned off. Noise pollution abates once engines and propellers wind down. Sensory pollution is an ecological gimme—a rare example of a planetary problem that can be immediately and effectively addressed.⁠ ⁠ 📷: @shayan.asgharnia⁠