Seeing climate change from space

Viewed from orbit, Earth's fragility highlights the need for urgent action

20201006 Space Shuttle Atlantis the Earth.jpg

The Space Shuttle Atlantis undocks from the International Space Station in September 2006: from space you can see not just light pollution but forest fires, impure water and air pollution over industrial areas. © NASA/Reuters

From Naoko Yamazaki, a former astronaut aboard the International Space Station. She is a member of the Earthshot Prize Council.

When astronauts who have been into space meet, we inevitably talk about that first look down at Earth and our initial thought tends to be the same -- that our world is beautiful. It is an awe-inspiring and magical experience looking down, but it is tinged with unease when you sense how fragile our world is.

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