Around the world, pollution is becoming an increasingly serious – and in many cases deadly – problem.

Last year UNICEF released a report which stated that 300 million children were living in parts of the world where levels of outdoor pollution are toxic.

CNBC takes a look at images that starkly illustrate how pollution is impacting the lives of people and animals around the world.

Two children play on top of mounds of smoldering waste in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in September 2016.

Heavy pollution in New Delhi didn't stop runners taking part in the New Delhi 10K Challenge last November.

Analysis from the State of Global Air 2017 report showed that India – with increasing exposure and its aging population – now competes with China in terms of air pollution health burdens.

Motorists in Vietnam cover up during the morning rush hour in Hanoi, Vietnam in November 2016.

Students wear masks to protect themselves from thick smog in Lahore, Pakistan, last November.

Residents in Jakarta overlook a passage filled with dirty water and rubbish in December 2016.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that "at least" 1.8 billion people around the world use a drinking water source contaminated with human waste.

A dead sea turtle lies wrapped in plastic on a beach in Ipojuca, Brazil in January 2017.

From poachers to pollution, sea turtles face a range of threats. The WWF states that almost all species are classified as being "endangered".

Waste adorns a beach in Troon, Scotland, in January 2017.

The pollution of the world's waters is becoming an increasingly serious issue.

In February 2017, a study led by researchers at Newcastle University found that pollutants were being found in amphipods – small crustaceans – living thousands of meters under the Pacific Ocean.

Thick smog fails to deter citizens from their morning exercise routine in Fuyang, China, earlier this year.

According to the WHO, roughly 7 million people died in 2012 as a result of exposure to air pollution.

A resident of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, shows the soot collected from the bonnet of his car.

Amid protests from residents of the southern city, mid-February saw authorities declare an air pollution emergency and shut an asphalt plant, Reuters reported.

Smog covers buildings in Beijing, China, at the end of January 2017.

According to the State of Global Air 2017 report, China saw around 1.1 million early deaths due to air pollution in 2015.