This astronaut's image from space reminds us how fragile the Earth's climate is
Astronaut Scott Kelly captured this stunning photo of Paris from space as world leaders gather in the city this week to discuss the growing problem of climate change:
Their goal is to reach an international agreement to cut emissions and stop global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. Any rise beyond that could bring devastating consequences like rising sea levels, extinctions, and a spike in destructive weather.
If we don't act immediately, it may be too late to reverse the effects of climate change.
Kelly reminded us just how fragile the Earth's climate is when he tweeted the picture of Paris:
And it really is thin - Earth's diameter spans about 8,000 miles, but its atmosphere is only about 60 miles thick. As NASA explains, "If the Earth were the size of a basketball, the thickness of the atmosphere could be modeled by a thin sheet of plastic wrapped around the ball."
That's why it appears as just a thin blue line over the Earth.
It will take a global effort to stop pumping harmful emissions into it, and the climate talks in Paris could finally put us on the right track.
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