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Google Earth Timelapse Video Shows the Impact of Climate Change Over 37 Years

When we talk about climate change today, we mean changes that humans have caused. There is hardly any doubt in science that we contribute to the greenhouse effect. Our world does not look as it used to, and if we don’t take action now, the changes might be irreversible. To celebrate Earth Day, we are sharing with you a video released by Google that shows how the planet’s face changed since 1984.
Google released a timelapse video ahead of Earth Day 1 photo
Photo: Google
For a long time, experts have argued about the existence and extent of climate change. In the meantime, there is a broad consensus that Earth is heating up and that humans play a massive role in that. The second half of the 20th century was the warmest 50 year period in the last 100 years, and it was thoroughly felt as massive wildfires and floods devastated our planet.

Over the years, Google Earth underwent major changes. Satellite technology has been improving over the years, and now we can better understand how different Earth is than it was 37 years ago. All thanks to a timelapse feature that lets you see the urban expansion, how glaciers are receding, deforestation, how sea level has risen over the years, illegal slash-and-burn agriculture, and more.

For this project, the company collaborated with NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Landsat program, the world’s longest-running Earth observation program. Google collected more than 24 million satellite images from 1984 to 2020, making up for the equivalent of 530,000 videos in 4K.

The videos are free and can be accessed by anyone in their browser. There, you can find hundreds of clips from different regions around the globe and how they suffered the consequences of climate change.

„Timelapse in Google Earth is about zooming out to assess the health and well-being of our only home and is a tool that can educate and inspire action. [...] With Timelapse in Google Earth, we have a clearer picture of our changing planet right at our fingertips — one that shows not just problems but also solutions, as well as mesmerizingly beautiful natural phenomena that unfold over decades.”, said Rebecca Moore, director of Google Earth, in a blog post.

You can also find the global timelapse video posted by Google on their official Youtube channel. The clip comes just ahead of Earth Day, and it’s a wake-up call that can make the issue of climate change a top priority for us.

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About the author: Florina Spînu
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Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
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