Overview Timelapse: How We Change the Earth

by Benjamin Grant, Timothy Dougherty

A striking collection of satellite images documenting human impact on the Earth -   and how the Earth responds -   from the creators of  Overview  and the Instagram sensation Daily Overview.

Change is Earth's most important and influential constant. From geological changes that take place over millennia, to the growth of civilization, to intense (and increasingly common) weather events exacerbated by a warming climate, the planet is constantly in flux. With areas viewed over various periods of time--days, months, and years--these changes become even more apparent, as does the scale and scope of human impact on Earth.

Overview Timelapse i s a compelling photographic survey of the state of change on Earth today. With human activity driving this transformation faster than ever, visible signs can now be seen across the planet. Through its 250 mesmerizing images such as sprawling cities and the patterns created by decades of deforestation, this book offers a fresh perspective of change on Earth from a larger-than-life scale.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, Science, Coffee Table Books, Travel

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2020

About the author

Benjamin Grant is the founder of Overview. His books take their original inspiration from Daily Overview (@dailyoverview) -- an Instagram account he launched in December 2013. With each post and story, he aims to not only inspire a fresh perspective of our planet but also how human activity changes the Earth. Benjamin's first book - "Overview: A New Perspective of Earth" - was selected as one of the Best Books of 2016 by Amazon, The Smithsonian, and the Los Angeles Times. It has been translated into nine languages so far. Grant graduated from Yale University where he studied world history, art history, and rowed on the heavyweight crew team. He lives and rides his bike in San Francisco.

Reviews

[jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a large format work that is more than a coffee-table book. Astonishing satellite imagery combined with thoughtful text that is as illuminating in its own way, this is a book that should be read. The reader will see how people have changed the earth, or in some cases, the processes by which goods are produced and shipped. This should be required reading for our legislators.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great selection of aerial photography, with a wide variety of topics and scales. Super interesting to see the comparisons of locations at different times, though some were clearer to see than others. Lots of full page, high quality images so you can see a ton of detail. Consumption was very cool, showing the eruption of life at a couple large festivals in remote locations. The section on materials was clever, showing mines and processing and use of materials around the world. The final section, humans, was the weakest as some of the differences didn't photograph well, though there were still interesting photos. I also appreciated the image sets, showing for example an aerial of the Camp Fire burning, then a before and after of a neighborhood in Paradise that burned. I didn't read the essays but the image captions gave useful info.

[Kenny K · Rating 3 out of 5]

한눈에 내려다보는 인간문명의 현재.