Future of the Environment

This map shows the extent of human impact on the Earth’s surface

Dec 4, 2020

To mark Earth Day on April 22, 2000, NASA scientists released this new image of the Earth, updating the famous "Blue Marble" photograph taken by Apollo astronauts. The digital image uses data collected in 1997 from several satellites to approximate what a human could see from orbit, with the added artistic license of having the Moon in the background. The prominent storm raging off the west coast of North America is Hurricane Linda. The image of the Moon has been magnified to about twice its relative size.RC/PB - RP2DRHYHGPAB

Nearly 95% of the Earth’s surface shows some form of human modification. Image: REUTERS

Nicholas LePan

Mining Editor, Visual Capitlaist

Share:

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how Future of the Environment is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Future of the Environment

Environment and Natural Resource Security Plastics and the Environment Sustainable Development

Almost 95% of the Earth's surface has been modified by humans. Image: Visual Capitalist

Environment and Natural Resource Security Plastics and the Environment Sustainable Development

How Earth’s various biomes are faring. Image: The Nature Conservancy

Have you read?

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Related topics:

Future of the Environment Plastics and the Environment Sustainable Development

Share:

Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

More on Future of the Environment
See all

This is one of the world’s largest – and most profitable – criminal activities, according to INTERPOL

Victoria Masterson

December 5, 2023

COP28: Are businesses doing enough to adapt to climate change and manage risk?

Kate Whiting

December 5, 2023

COP28: New climate disaster fund, plus other nature and climate stories to read this week

Johnny Wood

December 4, 2023

From fuel to fertilizer, how green ammonia could help curb emissions

Charlotte Edmond

November 30, 2023

This is what the climate crisis is costing economies around the world

Emma Charlton

November 29, 2023

Air pollution affects how children score on exams