To Our Readers

By Charles P. Alexander

It's not unusual for TIME to give readers a bonus--an extra issue on top of our regular weekly publication. But this Earth Day 2000 edition is more special than most. It is the first global special edition--the first published by every one of our regional magazines around the world. And what topic could be more deserving of global treatment? When it comes to the environment, we're all in this together. No nation alone can defeat global warming or clean up the atmosphere and oceans.

TIME's coverage of environmental issues has grown right along with Earth Day. The brainchild of former Senator Gaylord Nelson, it began in the U.S. as a day of ragtag demonstrations on April 22, 1970, and now, on its 30th anniversary, is an Internet-driven global happening. TIME caught the wave even before the first Earth Day, establishing our Environment section in August 1969. Over the years the section has produced dozens of cover stories, including the 1989 special report in which we named Endangered Earth as Planet of the Year. In 1998 our U.S. edition launched a two-year series of reports called Heroes for the Planet, in which we profiled individuals around the globe who are working to protect the natural world. You can read all the profiles and other features at our two environmental websites: www.time.com/heroes and the new www.time.com/earthday

This special edition is the culmination of the Heroes series--and much more. In these pages you'll meet new heroes and hear bold ideas for preserving the planet offered by such distinguished conservationists as Edward O. Wilson and Richard Leakey. You'll also get thoughts from two people who wield great power in very different spheres of influence: President Bill Clinton and Leonardo DiCaprio. For the latest information on the deteriorating condition of the planet's ecosystems, contributor Eugene Linden got an exclusive advance look at a sweeping study soon to be released by two United Nations agencies in partnership with the World Bank and the World Resources Institute.

On the last eight pages is another special part of this special edition, the first global version of TIME FOR KIDS. Designed especially for young readers, it shows how children from Canada to Cambodia are mobilizing to make sure that we older folks leave them a healthy planet to live on. This will be the first chance for our overseas readers to see a fun--and educational--publication that goes to nearly 3 million grade school children in the U.S. So share the whole issue with your kids, grandkids or the neighbors' kids. More than any other magazine, this one speaks to all generations all over the world.

Charles P. Alexander