earth #9

Betsiboka River Delta, Madagascar

Dramatic evidence of the catastrophic erosion of northwestern Madagascar. The removal of the native forest for cultivation and pastureland during the past 50 years has led to massive annual soil losses

earth #8

Bermejo, Blanco Rivers, Argentina

New agricultural fields in northwestern Argentina. The deforestation of this region of Argentina near the Bolivian border has increased since the mid 1980’s.

earth #7

Sudd Swamp and White Nile River, Southern Sudan

Detail of the northernmost area of the Sudd Swamp, the extensive floodplain with area of grassland that has been overgrazed by cattle.

earth #6

Rondônia, Brazil

A visual indication of the rate of deforestation that is taking place in the state of Rondônia, which has been especially hard hit by deforestation.

earth #5

Rondônia Brazil

Worldwide destruction of tropical rain forests has been under way for several decades. Nowhere has this destruction surpassed the deforestation of parts of the southern Amazon River Basin.

earth #4

Adams Lake, British Columbia, Canada

Adams Lake, the long, deep blue lake, is typical of the thousands of glacier-formed lakes in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Substantial variation in relief exists throughout the region— Logging has left clear-cut areas.

earth #3

Oil Well Fire Residue, Kuwait

Southern Kuwait, nine months after the oil well fires of Desert Storm were ignited, it shows the extent and pattern of environmental degradation caused by the smoke residue from the oil well fires.

earth #2

#2 Dust and Smog in Northeast China

A mass of gray smog—mainly industrial pollution and smoke from domestic burning—obscures Beijing and surrounding cities. Beijing suffers some of the worst air pollution in the world from these chronic sources.

earth #1

Kuwait, Oil Well Fires and Smoke

The effects of Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein’s setting fire to the oil wells in Kuwait.