Edward Burtynsky on his ravaged Earth shots: 'We've reached peak everything'

The great photographer’s awesome images – taken from drones, propellor planes and a 50ft selfie stick – show how industry has drilled and drained our planet
Rectangles of pale blues and greens lie scattered across a sea of grey sand, looking a bit like someone dropped their Farrow & Ball colour swatches in a cat litter tray. The mottled grey background is marked with faded layers of scratches and scribbles, like an endlessly reworked charcoal drawing, from which the little