Reuters
One of Europe's most biodiverse coastal wetland reserves has been inundated with tons of plastic waste, wrecked cars and pharmaceutical products by the flash floods that ravaged southeastern Spain last month. The Albufera lagoon just south of Valencia, home to at least 372 species of birds as well as endangered freshwater fish such as the Valencia toothcarp, is now awash with refrigerators, petrol cans, footballs and other wreckage. "It's dramatic to see first-hand how an area of such scenic, cultural and economic value and beauty has been turned into a toxic waste dump," said Eva Saldana, executive director of Greenpeace Spain.