Earth Day 2024: Witness our changing planet in 12 incredible satellite images

[Admin]

To commemorate Earth Day, enjoy these 12 NOAA satellite images that showcase the different ways this critical technology helps scientists keep an eye on our planet.

Earth Day 2024: Witness our changing planet in 12 incredible satellite images : Read more

 

[Frank Sterle Jr]

Astronauts typically express awe and even love for the beautiful Earth below while they’re in orbit. I wonder how they feel when seeing the immense consequential pollution from raging massive forest/brush fires, like the ones consuming Canadian forests for many weeks now, that are basically due to human-caused global warming?

And if a large portion of the planet’s most freely-polluting corporate CEOs, governing leaders and over-consuming/disposing individuals rocketed far enough above the earth for a day’s (or more) orbit, while looking down, would the view have a sufficiently profound effect on them to change their political/financial support of, most notably, the fossil fuel industry? ...

Meanwhile, too many people continue throwing non-biodegradable garbage down a dark chute or flush pollutants down toilet/sink drainage pipes as though they’re inconsequentially dispensing that waste into a black-hole singularity where it’s compressed into nothing.

Societally, we still discharge out of elevated exhaust pipes, smoke stacks and, quite consequentially, from sky-high jet engines like it’s all absorbed into the natural environment without repercussion. Then there are the corporate-scale toxic-contaminant spills in rarely visited wilderness.

Out of sight, out of mind.

 

[Frank Sterle Jr]

Astronauts typically express awe and even love for the beautiful Earth below while they’re in orbit. I wonder how they feel when seeing the immense consequential pollution from raging massive forest/brush fires, like the ones consuming Canadian forests for many weeks now, that are basically due to human-caused global warming?

And if a large portion of the planet’s most freely-polluting corporate CEOs, governing leaders and over-consuming/disposing individuals rocketed far enough above the earth for a day’s (or more) orbit, while looking down, would the view have a sufficiently profound effect on them to change their political/financial support of, most notably, the fossil fuel industry? ...

Meanwhile, too many people continue throwing non-biodegradable garbage down a dark chute or flush pollutants down toilet/sink drainage pipes as though they’re inconsequentially dispensing that waste into a black-hole singularity where it’s compressed into nothing.

Societally, we still discharge out of elevated exhaust pipes, smoke stacks and, quite consequentially, from sky-high jet engines like it’s all absorbed into the natural environment without repercussion. Then there are the corporate-scale toxic-contaminant spills in rarely visited wilderness.

Out of sight, out of mind.

[Cont.] Thus, every day of the year needs World Earth Day action — with a genuine, serious effort and not just brief news-media tokenism nor subtle dismissal.

Obstacles to environmental progress were quite formidable pre-pandemic. But Covid-19 not only stalled most projects being undertaken, it added greatly to the already busy landfills and burning centers with disposed masks and other non-degradable biohazard-protective single-use materials.

Also, increasingly problematic is the very large and growing populace who are too overworked, worried and even angry about food and housing unaffordability for themselves or their family — all while on insufficient income — to criticize the fossil fuel industry [etcetera] for whatever environmental damage their policies cause/allow, particularly when not immediately observable.