onEarth
The planet is our beat.
The air is polluted for three miles in any direction from the Asarco smelter plant in El Paso, Texas. Danny Lyon, May 1972
Before Flint, Before East Chicago, There Was Smeltertown
After a 1970s CDC study showed that the mostly Mexican-American population of this Texas town had dangerously high blood lead levels, its buildings were demolished and its residents were booted.
Like Much of the Arctic in 2016, These Ice Murals Melted Away
An Inuit woman’s portrait on vanishing sea ice is a powerful metaphor for climate change’s cultural toll.
The World’s Tallest Creature Is Heading for a Fall
Plunging giraffe numbers have led the IUCN to declare it vulnerable to extinction.
Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau Just Had a Lovely Chat
And you’ll never guess which oil pipeline project came up during their conversation.
When You Look into the Eyes of an Endangered Species, See Yourself
An exhibit on extinction at the Harvard Museum of Natural History pulls visitors into an immersive, reflective experience.
These 17th Century–Style Still Lifes Find the Beauty in Unwanted Food
A photographer combats food waste by cultivating old-fashioned respect for what’s on our dinner plates.
As We Prepare to Ring in 2017, See How Far CO2 Can Go in Just One Year
Watch carbon dioxide swirl around the globe in this 3-D visualization from NASA.