before and after
June 4, 2005 9:37 AM   Subscribe

Atlas reveals global devastation....... a new atlas just released by the UN showing before and after satellite imagery of the last 30 years (more or less) of human impact. NEATO!
posted by tarantula (22 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
that argentina/paraguay shot is sheer insanity. (last comparison in series).

I hope Bolton's got some mad photoshop skills to shut this line of non-constructive commentary up.
posted by Busithoth at 9:46 AM on June 4, 2005


The actual UN link with high resolution, downloadable images.
posted by R. Mutt at 9:51 AM on June 4, 2005


See, I told you the coming flu pandemic is a good thing.
posted by keswick at 9:54 AM on June 4, 2005


I'll bet the cure for that upcoming pandemic was in that rainforest down there.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 10:12 AM on June 4, 2005


Looks like progress to me.
posted by acetonic at 10:42 AM on June 4, 2005


I thought cities were more efficient uses of resources--public transit, less driving, etc.?
posted by amberglow at 10:45 AM on June 4, 2005


But we couldn't fund scientific research for cures without economic development! But then, maybe our rampant industrialization causes the pollution that creates more diseases! But then, where would the money to research cures for those diseases come from?! But if we did cure something, it would only allow more overpopulation and more devastation to the environment! O what a world what a world. I going to go watch TV.
posted by Stan Chin at 10:50 AM on June 4, 2005


Jesus fucking Christ!

Thank you for not breeding.
posted by scarabic at 10:59 AM on June 4, 2005


Neato in a This-is-really-sad kind of way. The BBC has the pictures side by side and faster loading.

To me, it looks like its time to start colonizing other planets before we fill this one up. That and I want to go and buy the biggest chunk of land I possibly can.
posted by fenriq at 11:00 AM on June 4, 2005


High density well planned "green" cities are the most efficient way of mass living. Suburbs (and most cities) are hurting the world.
posted by futureproof at 11:02 AM on June 4, 2005


Looks like progress to me.
posted by acetonic at 1:42 PM EST on June 4 [!]


Progressing to what, exactly, though?
posted by Busithoth at 12:16 PM on June 4, 2005


While this is indeed horrible, I wonder if we could find just as many good things that have happened.
posted by bigtimes at 12:52 PM on June 4, 2005


Good things? No, humanity is inherently evil! Didn't you get the MeFi talking points memo?!?!
posted by keswick at 12:56 PM on June 4, 2005


Eight, in total, released pairs of images from the UNEP site (in French, but the links are pretty obvious). Includes higher resolution photos.
posted by talos at 1:12 PM on June 4, 2005


Wow. It's a cliché, but these photos really bring it home - from a planetary perspective, humanity is exactly like a skin disease. The filgree wrinkles and veins and nodules of a splotch of some malignant growth are replicated in the road systems, factories, agriculture and the amenities infrastructure surrounding cities and other large developments. Neat!
posted by Drexen at 4:17 PM on June 4, 2005


Quick everyone! Kill yourselves!
posted by bigtimes at 4:51 PM on June 4, 2005


Those one-liner responses...bah ! If you need to waste time at least make the waste worth something..otherwise you may as well write FUCK YOU for what it's worth

There's a set of problems here

1. Apparent but realistic scarcity of natural resource
2. Need to Feed / Clothe / House / Cure humans
3. Need not to destroy our environment in the process so that we Feed/Clothe/House/Cure ourself to death/misery
3. Increasing population = all the above needs increase
4. More population tries to become richer as they seek what they think to be a better lifestyle (the western illusion)

What needs to be done ? Some points are obvious and need to be reinstated..their implementation isn't always easy but sometime are just as simple as closing an open faucet or eating less ( I don't mean starve..eat little more the one body needs)

1. Reduce _Waste_ of quantities of goods needed for human consumption
2. Reduce _externalities_ of our production method.
3. Optimize production of goods and tools to make them
LAST or be relatively easily recycled

Among the wastes I think the most destructive wastes are generate by those who look for monetary profit at obtain it by the means of mindless destruction of resources.

Indeed among these people we find the ones to which _bottom line_ profit is the only or the primary objective of their works and meddling...it seems to me they show the signs of a compulsive addiction to money ..they justifications are usually along the lines of

1. it's good for the economy (that means nothing..nukes are good for somebody too..economy is just an abstract concept )
2. we need to feed people (people don't eat money)
3. whatever..we're free to do so ! (but we're not free of stopping you from destroying ourselves ! Hypocrit)
3. you're a ommunist/fascist/imperialist/republican/democrat etc (that's pure pointless namecalling)

That is not to say that all people who think about obtaining monetary profit from their work are necessarily crazy..as money is a credit instrument useful and practical in exchanging good....BUT doing that by the means of making the majority suffer the negative and sometime unpredicted consequences of the monetary enrichment process enriching a minority of money is FOOLISH.

I wanna see what one will do with millions if those millions don't cure their cancer ..which proves the foolishnes of excessive selfishness.
posted by elpapacito at 6:08 PM on June 4, 2005


Those one-liner responses...bah !

Hey, my one-liner was apropos.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 7:35 PM on June 4, 2005


Sorry, I have to disagree that one-liners are a waste; bigtimes' comment was so much better than elpapacito's.
posted by benightedly_heedful at 7:39 PM on June 4, 2005


R. Mutt had the only useful comment.
posted by sfenders at 8:52 PM on June 4, 2005


It's a quick and easy solution, we've been doing it for years.
posted by bigtimes at 2:34 PM on June 5, 2005


The Japanese are doing it quite a lot; they must be more aware of the problem than we are.
posted by Citizen Premier at 3:38 PM on June 5, 2005


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