Forty-five years ago, 20 million Americans from all over the world launched the modern environmental movement. The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act followed, then came the Earth Day Network (EDN), which works with over 50,000 partners in 192 countries to continue the movement's mission. To them, saving the environment means more than promoting green economic policies—it means promoting environmental educational, creating green jobs, and inspiring earthlings to care.

"Today there is no greater threat to our planet than climate change," President Barack Obama said in his weekly video address. "2014 was the planet's warmest year on record. Fourteen of the hottest 15 years on record have all fallen on the first 15 years of this century." Lest you think last winter was too frigid for that to be possible, Obama asked us to consider how climate change has shaped the way we live now—stronger storms, longer droughts, and major risks to our national economy.

Fortunately, we are making small strides. As Obama points out, America remains a leader in wind power, we've cut down on carbon pollution, and cars and buildings are becoming more energy efficient (thanks, Elon Musk). Still, there's a lot at stake. And the onus is on us to do something about it. Here are a few visual reminders of what we stand to lose, from the Aegean Sea to some killer bird's eye views.

As the first Italian woman in space, European Space Agency's Samantha Cristoforetti has a unique view of the planet, literally. Here's a shot (above) she took of the Aegean and Ionian Seas. So blue!

This shot, taken by Cristoforetti in mid-January, shows the many vibrant hues of the planet.

Who knew Italy—specifically the central and southern regions of Molise, Apulia, and Campania—could look as just stunning from space? This radar composite image, taken in October and December 2014, shows the Adriatic Sea as a black mass; the chalk white blotches show the location of towns and cities.

The largest landlocked water body in the world, the Caspian Sea's surface area (371,000 sq. km.) is even larger than Germany. The image, taken in September 2012 by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Kompsas-2 satellite, shows the high level of phosphorus seeping into the water.

Here's another dreamy shot of the Mediterranean by Cristoforetti.

Japan's ALOS satellite took these images on November 16, May 16, and October 1, 2010. Together, they show the changes in large-scale agricultural plots in southwest Iran.

NASA's description alone is frightening: "1015 Arctic sea ice maximum extent is lowest on record," it reads. "At 5.61 million square miles (14.54 million square kilometers), this year's maximum extent was the smallest on the satellite record and also one of the earliest."

No that's not the new set of Star Wars—it's the mountain peaking through the ice on Thurston Island off of western Antarctica, November 2014.

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