jenmdixon Posted June 4, 2005 Share Posted June 4, 2005 edited to add link to article - sorry http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/06/04/un.atlas.reut/index.html ---------------- Atlas reveals global devastation LONDON, England (Reuters) -- The devastating impact of mankind on the planet is dramatically illustrated in pictures published on Saturday showing explosive urban sprawl, major deforestation and the sucking dry of inland seas over less than three decades. Mexico City mushrooms from a modest urban center in 1973 to a massive blot on the landscape in 2000, while Beijing shows a similar surge between 1978 and 2000 in satellite pictures published by the United Nations in a new environmental atlas. Delhi sprawls explosively between 1977 and 1999, while from 1973 to 2000 the tiny desert town of Las Vegas turns into a monster conurbation of one million people -- placing massive strain on scarce water supplies. "If there is one message from this atlas it is that we are all part of this. We can all make a difference," U.N. expert Kaveh Zahedi told reporters at the launch of the "One Planet Many People" atlas on the eve of World Environment Day. Page after page of the 300-page book illustrate in before-and-after pictures from space the disfigurement of the face of the planet wrought by human activities. U.N. Environment Program chief Klaus Toepfer has chosen efforts to make cities greener as this year's theme for World Environment Day on Sunday on the basis that the world is becoming increasingly urbanized. "Cities pull in huge amounts of resources including water, food, timber, metals and people. They export large amounts of wastes including household and industrial wastes, wastewater and the gases linked with global warming," he said in a statement. "Thus their impacts stretch beyond their physical borders affecting countries, regions and the planet as a whole. "So 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," Toepfer added. The destruction of swathes of mangroves in the Gulf of Fonseca off Honduras to make way for extensive shrimp farms shows up clearly in the pictures. The atlas makes the point that not only has it left the estuary bereft of the natural coastal defense provided by the mangroves, but the shrimp themselves have been linked to pollution and widespread damage to the area's ecosystem. And images of the wholesale destruction of vital rainforest around Iguazu Falls -- one of South America's most spectacular waterfalls -- on the borders between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay evoke comparisons with a bulldozer on a rampage. "These illustrate some of the changes we have made to our environment," Zahedi said. "This is a visual tool to capture people's imaginations showing what is really happening." "It serves as an early warning," he added. -------------------------------------------------- A new atlas of Earth seen from space, released by the United Nations Environment Program on Saturday, shows the devastating impact of urbanization on the planet. It pairs satellite images taken more than 20 years ago with up-to-date images of the same regions In these two photos, from the One Planet Many People Atlas, the dark mass showing the populated area of Las Vegas, Nevada, 27 years ago, left, is dramatically bigger in the recent image, right. Both images represent the southern coast of Spain, showing undeveloped land in an image taken from space in 1974, left, and the same area covered by greenhouses that provide food for European markets today. Scores of water plants and 118 dams were also built. The first satellite image, left, taken in 1973, shows the large green patch of Igauzu National Park in Argentina, bottom right, and large forested areas. The second image of Igauzu National Park, from 2003, shows the same patch of Paranaense rain forest, bottom right, but depicts how previously wooded areas have been engulfed by urbanization. The first photo, left, taken in 1979, shows the Yellow River in China as a blue ribbon bisecting the image as it flows from the top left corner into the Yellow Sea. The second picture, right, taken 21 years later, shows in vivid swirling green the buildup of silt along the river and its delta -- adding several hundred miles of new land to China's coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gichin13 Posted June 4, 2005 Share Posted June 4, 2005 I am starting to think we are a plague on this earth. As George Carlin says, saying "Save the Planet" is bull**** ... the planet will survive as will life long after we have wiped ourselves out. The point is we need to get control of ourselves before we manage to turn this evolutionary branch into a wicked dead end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chomerics Posted June 4, 2005 Share Posted June 4, 2005 Originally posted by Gichin13 I am starting to think we are a plague on this earth. As George Carlin says, saying "Save the Planet" is bull**** ... the planet will survive as will life long after we have wiped ourselves out. The point is we need to get control of ourselves before we manage to turn this evolutionary branch into a wicked dead end. So true. I often get pissed off at enviornmentalists because they have an extreme faction of their groups, but I definitely believe in the premise of preserving what we can. We are rapidly destroying our planet, and doing so at an alarming rate. The question remains though if we will evolve as a species fast enough stop our path of destruction. We may be able to do so in the nick of time, but not if we continue down the same path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Whats wrong? more people, more ideas, more progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancalagon the Black Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Originally posted by Liberty Whats wrong? more people, more ideas, more progress. You honestly believe in progress? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Originally posted by Ancalagon the Black You honestly believe in progress? Do you honestly not believe in progress? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Link? The ones i found using the 1st paragraph didnt have pics.. and 4 others didnt have good ones.... How do you get this book to see the other 292 pictures... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. S Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Well, China is at least trying to cut down on their population. Of course that does not do much so long as people are still moving into cities. Even though its a population, a population can still be educated. We need more education to teach environmentalism. All I remember hearing in elementary school was 'reduce, reuse, recycle'. A lot of good that has done me, I wouldnt call myself environmentalist of the year just cause I know that. There needs to be more of an effort made, but people are lazy, and I sadly am one of them. Id rather at least preserve what we have not touched... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanishomelette Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 If we could make some serious progress with the space program, we could populate Mars or maybe Titan and wreck those too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 from the way some of you talk, why havent you self terminated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 we should digress...grab our women by the hair, and hunt our food while naked. yes, this is a great idea! this way, the land that has been provided for us will nurture those environmentally aware in the future. it is all about the future...isn't it? i mean, why live for today?...you know you're going to be here tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 stone cold, your point is spot on but well beyond what the simpletons are putting forward. They arent complaining that we have progressed, they are complaining that we have multiplied. They want a reduction in the numbers of humans, but strangely they havent offered up themselves. Stranger still the same people who make these demands also want payments to families who cant afford their young, inducing an environment that produces what they are trying to prevent by the very nature of what they are promoting. An observer whould have no choice but to call them insane, but then again who is to question their brillance. Three cheers to over educated rebellion, hip hip damn its another douche bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Three cheers to over educated rebellion, hip hip damn its another douche bag. oops...was attempting to copy, paste & quote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Three cheers to over educated rebellion, hip hip damn its another douche bag. oh, to be a college freshman again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Originally posted by dreamingwolf stone cold, your point is spot on but well beyond what the simpletons are putting forward. They arent complaining that we have progressed, they are complaining that we have multiplied. They want a reduction in the numbers of humans, but strangely they havent offered up themselves. Stranger still the same people who make these demands also want payments to families who cant afford their young, inducing an environment that produces what they are trying to prevent by the very nature of what they are promoting. An observer whould have no choice but to call them insane, but then again who is to question their brillance. Three cheers to over educated rebellion, hip hip damn its another douche bag. Hey shouldn't you be watching TV to make sure a woman doesn't show too much shoulder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 from our favorite teen Hey shouldn't you be watching TV to make sure a woman doesn't show too much shoulder? dont take out your v chip frustrations on me see I can be juvenile too hee hee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Originally posted by dreamingwolf from our favorite teen dont take out your v chip frustrations on me see I can be juvenile too hee hee Oh that was juvenile? Awesome. Continue the growing up trend you've established with your last two posts and do adult next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 um, the shoulder isn't what we're looking for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 shark attack... meow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancalagon the Black Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Originally posted by Liberty Do you honestly not believe in progress? I guess that depends on what you mean by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenmdixon Posted June 5, 2005 Author Share Posted June 5, 2005 Originally posted by Thiebear Link? The ones i found using the 1st paragraph didnt have pics.. and 4 others didnt have good ones.... How do you get this book to see the other 292 pictures... Jeez. I'm sorry, guys, I usually don't forget something like that http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/06/04/un.atlas.reut/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mufumonk Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 We're a virus with shoes - Bill Hicks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 I thought the tree huggers understood the power of nature? Once populations get too large disease and starvation will restore the balance. Not to mention the bloodthirsty neo-cons Even as we speak the gulfstream is slowing,volcanos perculating and the gulf coast subsiding.....Throw in a few massive earthquakes and presto the balance is restored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamSneed36 Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 agent smith was right, we are a disease, a virus of the earth o well, u are what u are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pez Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 looks almost like the spread of a virus in the bloodstream.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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