What’s changed?

Andy Saunders writes:

Left – Apollo 17, 1972
Right – Artemis II, 2026

Two photographs taken by one of us, of all of us, over half a century apart.

What's changed? pic.twitter.com/it1Ab2GVdz

— Andy Saunders – Apollo Remastered (@AndySaunders_1) April 3, 2026

A couple of things come to mind. The planet on the right contains, on average, around 70% fewer animals than the planet on the left.

The atmosphere of the planet on the right also contains around 100 ppm, or 30%, more CO2 than the planet on the left.

It seems to me that in many ways, humankind as a whole has not protected our Blue Marble very well in the 50-odd years between these images. Perhaps the next generation can do better.