How Man Pollutes His World

“For centuries we have treated land, sea, and sky as though they are limitless. They are not.” [Upper left]

This boldly illustrated diagram provides a stark assessment of humanity’s negative impact on the environment. A representative cutaway shows the various methods by which ‘progress’ has resulted in the degradation of the natural world, from the water vapor and exhaust of jet aircraft to dumping toxic materials into the deepest parts of the ocean. A frank warning in the lower right has apparently gone unheeded in the intervening half-century.

A detailed political world map can be found on the verso, with the unspoken assumption that better environmental practices are a global obligation.

The diagram was illustrated by William Bond. Published in 1970 by the National Geographic Society. Printing performed in Chicago by Regensteiner Press.