A Changing World

Newly released satellite images bring into focus increases in human activity and sprawl, as well as damaging environmental changes.

The image above shows how Las Vegas has transformed from a tiny town of 24,000 in the 1950's to a burgeoning one million - not including tourists - and growing. [Larger Version]

The "One Planet Many People: Atlas of our Changing Environment" images were produced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). They compare and contrast contemporary views of the planet with photos from the past.

Some of the scenes from across the globe: huge growth of greenhouses in southern Spain, rapid increase in shrimp farming in Asia and Latin America, dramatic rain forest deforestation in Paraguay and Brazil, forest fires spreading across sub-Saharan Africa, and the retreat of glaciers and ice in polar and mountain areas.

Part of the motivation for releasing this atlas is to give people, especially those living in cities, a view of drastic changes in the world's environment. Big cities pull in huge amounts of natural resources, and export equally large amounts of waste, said Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive Director.

"Thus their impacts stretch beyond their physical borders affecting countries, regions and the planet as a whole," Toepfer said. "The battle for sustainable development, for delivering a more environmentally stable, just and healthier world, is going to be largely won and lost in our cities."

Views of Las Vegas show the city spreading in all directions, replacing sparsely vegetated lands and natural desert with housing and irrigated golf courses. The image was released last week as part of World Environment Day.

--Bjorn Carey

Credit: United Nations Environment Programme