In 1999 the first edition of "The Earth from the Air" - the result of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's five-year airborne odyssey over six continents - was published. Now this work has been revised and expanded for the 21st century, with additional photographs, all-new essays and updated information.
    How can we ensure sustainable development and preserve the Earth for future generations? 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, the photographs give a remarkable account of the Earth's surface. New essays written by environmental specialists:

• Lester Brown, "Building an eco-economy"
• Hervé Le Bras, "World population and the environment"
• Jean-Robert Pitte, "Urban landscapes, landscapes of urbanism"
• Laurence Roudart and Marcel Mazoyer, "Farmers of the world: the price of our future"
• Marie-France Dupuis-Tate and Bernard Fischesser, "Water: humanity's heritage"
• Jean-Marie Pelt, "Biodiversity, a question of survival"
• Christian Buchet, "A plea for the seas"
• Anne Juillet-Leclerc, "Changing climates"
• Reiner Klingholz, "Renewable energy"
• Christian Brodhag, "Toward a sustainable development"
• Edward Goldsmith, "What do we do?"