It took Shanghai just 20 years to go from nice city to megalopolis. For the City of Angels, it took a bit longer to evolve from the 1908 flickery twinkle town (top) to the 2002 sea of lights (bottom)
Both images of Los Angeles were taken from Mount Wilson. The first by Ferdinand Ellermann in 1908, one hour exposure. The second one, by Gerhard Eisenbeis with 4 seconds exposure on 100 ASA film. [Uni Mainz]
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DISCUSSION
Whenever I come down from the mountains towards Denver, I look out at a sea of lights in every direction of the horizon. Hardly anything I see was there 100 years ago. lights, roads, buildings, garbage.. the quality of the air and water. It's barely a sliver in time within the earth's history.
And yet we're so full of ourselves that people actually think we have no significant impact of the atmosphere or capability the earth has to sustain us.
I won't be having children. I fear for whats coming within the next generation. When we finally hit the tipping point, it's going to get truly nasty out there. I'm part of the problem. That's how I'm doing my part.