True colour satellite image of the Earth showing Asia, half in shadow, with cloud coverage, and the sun. This image in orthographic projection was compiled from data acquired by LANDSAT 5 & 7 satellites. (Photo: Planet Observer/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Astronaut Says View From Above Reveals 'Absolutely Fragile' Planet Earth
"It makes you want to cherish the Earth and protect it, the more you see it from space," says a French astronaut calling for global cooperation to fight the climate crisis.
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet says the impacts of the climate emergency are clear from space--and worsening on his watch--and has expressed optimism that the kind of global cooperation that built the International Space Station can also be channeled to protect the planet he calls "an oasis in the cosmos."
"Through the portholes of the space station, we distinctly see Earth's fragility."
Pesquet, a European Space Agency astronaut, made to the remarks in an interview published Monday at CNN.
In November, Pesquet, completed a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. It was his second tour at the ISS, following an earlier mission in 2016 and 2017.
From space, an astronaut has a unique view of "the fragility of planet Earth," he told the outlet.
There's simply "emptiness," he said, "apart from this blue ball with everything we need to sustain human life, and life in general, which is absolutely fragile."
"It makes you want to cherish the Earth and protect it," he said, "the more you see it from space."
According to Pesquet, the view from space also reveals the impacts of humanity's destruction of nature such as river pollution. But the "most visual visible effect" of the climate crisis, he said, is the retreat of glaciers.
Compared to his earlier mission, Pesquet told CNN that on his 2021 tour he "could see a net increase in the frequency and the strength of extreme weather phenomena like hurricanes, like wildfires."
He also likened the "peaceful cooperation between countries that were not always friends" in maintaining the space station, and suggested that transferring "that model to the way we deal with the environment on Earth" could lead to planetary protection.
"If we can make a space station fly," said Pesquet, "then we can save the planet."
On Instagram, Pesquet has captured many remarkable images from the station, documenting both Earth's beauty and the impacts of the climate crisis:
In October, Pesquet described viewing the climate crisis from space and the increasing prevalence of destructive events viewable from above. "Definitely, the hurricanes, seen from space, and the forest fires, I had never seen that before, especially on my previous mission."
He conveyed his space view of the planetary crisis to French President Emmanuel Macron last year. "Through the portholes of the space station, we distinctly see Earth's fragility," he said. "We see the damaging effects of human activity, pollution of rivers and air pollution."
He and the other astronauts on the 2021 mission also witnessed wildfires ravaging various regions including California, which was "covered in a cloud of smoke, we saw the flames with our naked eyes."
Worsening impacts of the climate crisis from his tour five years earlier were clear, he said: "The weather phenomena are accelerating at an alarming rate."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet says the impacts of the climate emergency are clear from space--and worsening on his watch--and has expressed optimism that the kind of global cooperation that built the International Space Station can also be channeled to protect the planet he calls "an oasis in the cosmos."
"Through the portholes of the space station, we distinctly see Earth's fragility."
Pesquet, a European Space Agency astronaut, made to the remarks in an interview published Monday at CNN.
In November, Pesquet, completed a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. It was his second tour at the ISS, following an earlier mission in 2016 and 2017.
From space, an astronaut has a unique view of "the fragility of planet Earth," he told the outlet.
There's simply "emptiness," he said, "apart from this blue ball with everything we need to sustain human life, and life in general, which is absolutely fragile."
"It makes you want to cherish the Earth and protect it," he said, "the more you see it from space."
According to Pesquet, the view from space also reveals the impacts of humanity's destruction of nature such as river pollution. But the "most visual visible effect" of the climate crisis, he said, is the retreat of glaciers.
Compared to his earlier mission, Pesquet told CNN that on his 2021 tour he "could see a net increase in the frequency and the strength of extreme weather phenomena like hurricanes, like wildfires."
He also likened the "peaceful cooperation between countries that were not always friends" in maintaining the space station, and suggested that transferring "that model to the way we deal with the environment on Earth" could lead to planetary protection.
"If we can make a space station fly," said Pesquet, "then we can save the planet."
On Instagram, Pesquet has captured many remarkable images from the station, documenting both Earth's beauty and the impacts of the climate crisis:
In October, Pesquet described viewing the climate crisis from space and the increasing prevalence of destructive events viewable from above. "Definitely, the hurricanes, seen from space, and the forest fires, I had never seen that before, especially on my previous mission."
He conveyed his space view of the planetary crisis to French President Emmanuel Macron last year. "Through the portholes of the space station, we distinctly see Earth's fragility," he said. "We see the damaging effects of human activity, pollution of rivers and air pollution."
He and the other astronauts on the 2021 mission also witnessed wildfires ravaging various regions including California, which was "covered in a cloud of smoke, we saw the flames with our naked eyes."
Worsening impacts of the climate crisis from his tour five years earlier were clear, he said: "The weather phenomena are accelerating at an alarming rate."
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet says the impacts of the climate emergency are clear from space--and worsening on his watch--and has expressed optimism that the kind of global cooperation that built the International Space Station can also be channeled to protect the planet he calls "an oasis in the cosmos."
"Through the portholes of the space station, we distinctly see Earth's fragility."
Pesquet, a European Space Agency astronaut, made to the remarks in an interview published Monday at CNN.
In November, Pesquet, completed a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. It was his second tour at the ISS, following an earlier mission in 2016 and 2017.
From space, an astronaut has a unique view of "the fragility of planet Earth," he told the outlet.
There's simply "emptiness," he said, "apart from this blue ball with everything we need to sustain human life, and life in general, which is absolutely fragile."
"It makes you want to cherish the Earth and protect it," he said, "the more you see it from space."
According to Pesquet, the view from space also reveals the impacts of humanity's destruction of nature such as river pollution. But the "most visual visible effect" of the climate crisis, he said, is the retreat of glaciers.
Compared to his earlier mission, Pesquet told CNN that on his 2021 tour he "could see a net increase in the frequency and the strength of extreme weather phenomena like hurricanes, like wildfires."
He also likened the "peaceful cooperation between countries that were not always friends" in maintaining the space station, and suggested that transferring "that model to the way we deal with the environment on Earth" could lead to planetary protection.
"If we can make a space station fly," said Pesquet, "then we can save the planet."
On Instagram, Pesquet has captured many remarkable images from the station, documenting both Earth's beauty and the impacts of the climate crisis:
In October, Pesquet described viewing the climate crisis from space and the increasing prevalence of destructive events viewable from above. "Definitely, the hurricanes, seen from space, and the forest fires, I had never seen that before, especially on my previous mission."
He conveyed his space view of the planetary crisis to French President Emmanuel Macron last year. "Through the portholes of the space station, we distinctly see Earth's fragility," he said. "We see the damaging effects of human activity, pollution of rivers and air pollution."
He and the other astronauts on the 2021 mission also witnessed wildfires ravaging various regions including California, which was "covered in a cloud of smoke, we saw the flames with our naked eyes."
Worsening impacts of the climate crisis from his tour five years earlier were clear, he said: "The weather phenomena are accelerating at an alarming rate."