The first edition of The Earth from the Air - the result of the aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand's five-year airborne odyssey across six continents - was published around the world to critical and popular acclaim. Now this monumental achievement bas been revised and expanded for the twenty-first century, with additional photographs, all-new essays and updated information. How can we ensure sustainable development and preserve the earth for future generations? The impact of population growth and technological progress on the natural equilibrium of the planet has been dramatic, and the world's landscapes have been transformed as a result. The crisis facing the global population propelled Arthus-Bertrand on his mission to create a portrait of the world: both of its natural beauty and its precarious condition, including the impact of human civilization on the land. In views ranging from spectacular panoramas of vast geographical formations to intimate glimpses of small-scale features of the landscape, Arthus-Bertrand's photographs give a remarkable account of the earth's surface. His probing lens portrays human settlements (from cities to desert oases), forests, grasslands, tundra, deserts, mountains, islands, coastlines, rivers and lakes in extraordinary compositions of light and form. The images reveal people, animals and the details that make a vista come alive. The authoritative text is written by the widely respected environmentalist Lester Brown and other recognized experts in the fields of ecology, economics, geography and demography. Using the images as a window on the earth, this book is a fascinating record of the state of our planet at the dawn of a new millennium.