Satellite image of fog colliding with Pakistan’s Sulaiman Mountains in a city along the Indus River.
NASA
Last year, warming reached alarming highs as record heat brought extreme weather across the world. As farms and cities grow, pollution spreads and the planet overheats. The evidence of our impact is so profound that it can be seen from space.
Below is a shared satellite image. NASA’s Earth Observatory The past year has seen a huge human footprint.
everyone
Farms and pastures are occupied. almost half habitable land in the world, that is, the area not covered by ice or desert. And in recent years, greenhouses have boomed and now cover 3.2 million acres, an area the size of Connecticut. The image below shows numerous greenhouses in China.
Satellite images of farmland in Weifang, China, in 1987 (left) and 2024 (right) after the greenhouse boom.
NASA
city
more half Many people on the planet live in cities, and cities are expanding at a rapid pace, especially in developing countries. The image below shows the growth of Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the development of Nusantara, Indonesia’s new capital, built in the face of increasingly severe flooding as the existing capital, Jakarta, became swamped with traffic and pollution, rising sea levels, and the city slowly sinking.
Chiang Mai, Thailand, 1989 (left) and 2024 (right).
NASA
The site of Nusantara, the new capital of Indonesia, in 2022 (left) and 2024 (right).
NASA
climate change
this year dispose and temperature Both are expected to hit record highs. As the world reaches these grim new milestones, the effects of warming are becoming clear. Sea levels are rising, ice is melting, and wildfires ravage rainforests and continue to burn. The photos below show flood-dry forests in North Carolina, the disappearance of the last glaciers in Venezuela, and massive burns in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands.
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in 2005 (left) and 2024 (right). Rising sea levels have flooded coastal forests, creating ‘ghost forests’.
NASA
Pico Humboldt, Venezuela, after the Humboldt Glacier melted in 2015 (left) and 2024 (right).
NASA
False-color image before (left) and after (right) the June forest fires in the Pantanal region of Brazil last June.
NASA
renewable energy
Amidst the grim climate news, there are signs of hope. A large solar array provides power. cheapest Most parts of the world use this form of energy, with solar installations expected this year to be best record. The image below shows the massive Edwards Sanborn solar and energy storage project in California, which came online in January. At the time, the company consisted of the largest solar array in the United States and the largest battery system in the world.
Edwards Sanborn Solar and Energy Storage Project.
NASA
“The top 10 hottest years on record occurred in the past decade, including 2024,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. name On New Year’s Day. “In 2025, countries must put the world on a safer path by dramatically reducing emissions and supporting the transition to a renewable future.”
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What is causing the recent surge in global temperatures?
