Ipanema Beach is a popular place to visit in Rio de Janero, Brazil.

Photograph from here

Helo Pinheiro is an Ipaneman woman who inspired one of my favourite songs ever, ‘The Girl From Ipanema’, a bossa nova jazz standard written in 1962 that now has with hundreds and hundreds of recorded versions. Here is the fabulous first ever one…

Despite it’s beauty and fame due to the song, poor waste management and treatment means that pollutants are dumped into the sea at Ipanema Beach causing concern for ecologists.This is due to the fact that millions of homes are not properly connected to waste treatment systems, and in addition, rubbish is swept into the sea.

Photo is a screenshot from an ITV video found here

Apparently the word ‘Ipanema’ comes from an extinct language of the native Tupi people and means ‘stinky lake’ or ‘bad water’ a definition that is unfortunately prophetic. Coastal pollution is a global problem and none of it is acceptable but it seems even more tragic that a beach known for its beauty is also becoming known for its accumulating waste. When will we learn?

Photograph from Huffington Post