Compared with 45 years ago, the photos of the earth have changed a lot. Does it indicate that there will be a major disaster?

Someone posted a comparison picture of the Earth online, saying it was the latest released by NASA. The Earth changed from a clear blue to a blurry and dirty color, and it looked very different, even a little scary (see the picture below).

The Earth 40 years ago is certainly different from what it is now, but I don’t think it’s something that can be clearly distinguished with the naked eye. I seriously doubt the authenticity of the so-called photo below released by NASA comparing the Earth in 1972 and 2017.

This photo really doesn't prove anything. You can just search for photos taken by satellites or space stations recently and you will find that the earth is not in that muddled state. The blue sea and white clouds are still beautiful and clear, and the earth doesn't seem to have changed much.

We can take a look at the following photos, also released by NASA:

This photo is actually the so-called 1972 photo mentioned above. It was taken during the Apollo 17 manned lunar mission when it was flying to a distance of 4.5 kilometers from the earth. The color of this photo is different from the above photo. It is clearer and more beautiful than the above one. Therefore, one of these two identical photos must have been processed.

In 2010, NASA released a set of photos that were allegedly created by a special research team at the Goddard Space Flight Center over several months using a large number of photos taken by space observation satellites to achieve the most realistic and clear effect of reflecting the entire picture of the earth. Moreover, the researchers would modify and improve these photos every 8 days based on the latest observed data. The photos look like this:

So, what can we see from the photos? So, has the Earth changed in recent years? How much has it changed? After all, we have to talk about the two warning letters that scientists from around the world sent to humanity 25 years later. The letters accurately describe the changes in the Earth over the past 25 years and the crisis facing humanity, which is deafening.

First warning letter in 1992

At the end of 1992, 1,700 scientists jointly issued a "Warning Letter to Humanity". This warning letter, signed by Henry Kendall, co-founder of the Union of Concerned Scientists and particle physicist, pointed out:

Ever since the emergence of human beings, they have been endlessly demanding various resources from Mother Earth. Especially in the past 400 years, the destruction caused by human beings' wanton plundering of nature has accelerated the originally slow rate of ecological extinction by 100 times, the area of ​​biological living environment has shrunk by more than 90%, more than 50% of species have become extinct, and the number of invertebrates such as butterflies, beetles, and spiders has decreased by 45%.

Although people are aware that such destruction is likely to cause unpredictable disasters and have taken some measures, the results have been minimal.

The letter uses a large amount of factual data to list the current serious environmental problems, including severe air and water pollution, stratospheric ozone depletion, soil erosion, forest destruction, rising greenhouse gases caused by the abuse of fossil fuels, frequent catastrophic climate events, marine resource disasters, etc., which are showing a trend of getting worse.

Migrating to other planets is still too far away for humans. The Earth is still our only home, but it has been riddled with holes. However, people are still staring at stocks every day, and newborns are drinking poison.

If humans do not immediately change their behavior and curb these deteriorating trends, both human society and the plant and animal kingdoms will be in danger, the world in which we live will change dramatically, and humans will no longer be able to support life as they did in the past.

Second warning letter in 2017

After the scientists issued the first warning letter, 25 years have passed, with little effect, and many problems have become more and more serious. Therefore, on the 25th anniversary of the warning letter to humanity, scientists jointly issued a second warning letter, this time with 15,000 signatories from 184 countries, including almost all the world's most famous scientists such as Nobel Prize winners. Later, it was said that the number of signatories exceeded 20,000.

This warning letter can be said to be a cry of tears: We don’t have much time left, and mankind will soon miss the opportunity to get back on track. The time left for us is passing quickly! If we don’t change and end the wrong practices as soon as possible, it will be too late to regret!

The warning letter pointed out helplessly: 25 years ago, the world's top scientists prescribed solutions to these problems, but shockingly, mankind turned a deaf ear to it, and not only did they not restrain themselves, but they became even worse.

The letter lists 25 negative development trends of globalization, including that over the past 25 years, per capita fresh water has decreased by 26%, marine dead water area has increased by 75%, forest area has decreased by 300 million acres, the number of global mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds and fish has decreased by 29%, animal populations have become extinct by 30%, while the human population has increased by 35%, and global wildlife has decreased by 60% in 40 years.

The letter warned: Catastrophic extreme climate is in the making, and at least nine tipping points have appeared that warn us: permanent glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, coral reefs are dying, grasslands and tropical rainforests are disappearing, forest fires are frequent, ocean circulation is reversing, extreme climate is becoming more frequent and intensifying, deserts are flooded, and drought is raging in some places that were once lush and green.

The only bright spot is that the ozone hole has shrunk due to human intervention, which shows that as long as humans change, it is possible to reverse the deteriorating trend, but do humans have the determination to comprehensively improve and repair nature? Scientists are eagerly looking forward to this miracle.

There is hope only when all mankind works together

After long-term follow-up research on earth issues, scientists have found that the problem is actually very simple. It boils down to the change in the average temperature of the earth. The biggest problem at present is that the average temperature of the earth continues to rise. Every 1°C increase in average will lead to frequent disasters, and as the increase increases, such disasters will expand exponentially.

The average temperature rise of 3°C is a threshold, or critical point. Beyond this critical point, the Earth's own natural climate regulation system will collapse, and unpredictable extreme weather will wreak havoc on the world. The temperature will then rise rapidly to 6°C, at which temperature all species, including humans, will face a 95% mass extinction.

Therefore, controlling greenhouse gas emissions and slowing the trend of rising global average temperatures is a top priority for all mankind and a fundamental problem that needs to be solved urgently. The Paris Agreement is the most important document led by the United Nations. As of 2021, 195 countries around the world have signed this agreement, with the goal of limiting the temperature rise to within 2°C by the end of this century, and striving to limit it to within 1.5°C.

This may seem like just a temperature indicator, but it is actually a comprehensive measure to change human behavior and repair the environment. To reduce the trend of global temperature rise, it is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, plant more trees, protect the ecology, reduce damage, and repair the environment. The most important indicator is carbon emissions, and all countries have pledged to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality within a certain number of years.

What are carbon peak and carbon neutrality?

It means that the harmful gases (greenhouse gases) such as carbon dioxide emitted by the production and life of an enterprise, region or even a country must be offset by measures such as afforestation, energy conservation and emission reduction, and the development of clean energy, and ultimately achieve zero emissions. Carbon peak means that within a certain period of time, carbon emissions will reach a platform and no longer increase, and will then decline year by year.

China's total carbon emissions account for 27% of the world's total, making it a country with serious carbon pollution. Last year, the Chinese government promised to achieve carbon peak in 2030 and carbon neutrality in 2060. Many countries in the world have also made commitments to carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals.

But will this joint human action be successful? Many scientists are not optimistic about this, because many countries have not fulfilled their responsibilities, and the temperature rise is still intensifying. Compared with pre-industrial times, the world's average temperature has risen by 1 degree. A global environmental and climate disaster is taking shape. If it is not curbed, it may be difficult to avoid getting out of control.

Nowadays, people often ask whether the rumors that scientists predict the destruction of the earth are true. In fact, it is all nonsense. Global warming is the biggest disaster facing mankind. This is the truth. Let us pray and start from ourselves, change our behavior habits, live and travel in a low-carbon way, and contribute our own meager efforts to slow down the rising temperature.

What do you think? Thanks for reading, and welcome to discuss.

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