How can so many people refuse to believe that man-made climate change is really happening, and that we need to do something about it?
Sure, some of the skepticism or outright disbelief is "denial in action". But it may also be due to the science of climate change
being difficult to understand.
That may be about to change: two new tools made available by the good folks at Google help to visualize the science in a way that's easier to comprehend.
One tool provides a online, interactive method to trace current CO2 emissions--their sources and destinations--which has implications for making practical
policies.
The other tool is more predictive in nature--and ultimately more useful in convincing climate change skeptics--because it shows the predicted impacts
of global warming on local temperatures and precipitation and, in the near future, on sea-level changes, polar ice-cap melting and regional water shortages.
"Critically urgent" is a weak term to describe the need to show the citizens of our earth that we are on the brink of disaster. RLMiller's recent diary, "UNEP: Climate worse than we thought. A lot worse.," showed that these fears are not unfounded.
With each passing week we are shown further evidence why we must utilize every resource possible.
Many Americans don't rank climate change an issue of high priority. In a World Public Opinion poll (pdf), citizens of 19 countries were surveyed. Americans polled lowest in the opinion that climate change is a priority. Other countries included in the poll rated climate change as a priority, they believe that their government should take action to address.
A majority of peoples around the world want their governments to put action on climate change at the top of the political agenda, a new global public opinion poll suggests.
Unfortunately for Barack Obama though, who has put energy reform at the top of his White House to-do list, Americans are not necessarily among them.
Lack of understanding that we are facing disaster may impede the pending climate change legislation.
Google Earth's 3D climate change map, it is the newest we have to educate the public and disprove global warming deniers.
Google is using its Google Earth mapping tool to simulate on a 3D map of the world the predicted effects of climate change until the year 2100.
Using data provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the search giant created new layers for Google Earth showing the range of expected temperature and precipitation changes under different global emissions scenarios that could occur throughout the century.
The new tools were introduced in partnership with the Danish Government ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Convention in December.
Right now only temperature and precipitation change can be viewed, but this map is advancing in its ability daily.
Google has a specialweb page with an introduction video narrated by Al Gore and a guide.
In a video tour introducing the new Google tools, climate change activist Al Gore showed some of these upcoming layers, which will let users view the ongoing effects of sea-level rises, polar ice-sheet melting and water shortages.
Google will then add further layers highlighting what communities around the world are doing to adapt to their changing climates and reduce their carbon footprint.
The company is hoping that allowing people to visualise the impacts of climate change on a 3D map of the world will compel more people to speak up about the issue.
This is the newest, but not the first, resource Google Earth has provided us in the fight against global warming.
GoogleEarth Carbon Mapping is a vital resource that may disprove the lies thrown about by global warming deniers. The hard data will enable better understanding of emissions. It too can educate the public. We need constituents to become aware and be willing to fight and pressure their Senators to support ACES, and future legislation, to halt climate change.
Google Earth has a new application that shows carbon dioxide in different layers of the earth's atmosphere. Tyler Erickson, a geospatial researcher at the Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor, responded to a competition call from Google asking scientists to present research results using KML, a data format used by Google Earth. This is what he came up with - an app that illustrates for us the carbon cycle, a deeper understanding of which can impact everything from mainstream understanding of carbon emissions to environmental policy.
Michalak related the technique to cream in a cup of coffee. "Say someone gave you a cup of creamy coffee," Michalak said. "How do you know when that cream was added?" Just as cream is not necessarily mixed perfectly, neither is the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If you can see the streaks of cream (carbon dioxide) and understand how the coffee (atmosphere) was stirred (weather), then scientists can use those clues to retrace the time and location that the ingredient was added to the mix.
With further development of carbon emission tracking we can become even more active as part of the solution.
"This will bring emissions information into everyone's living room as a recognizable, accessible online experience," said Gurney, who is an assistant professor of earth and atmospheric sciences. "What was once the realm of scientists will now be provided directly to the public. We hope to eventually turn it into an interactive space where the public will feed information into the system to create an even finer picture of emissions down to the street and individual building level."
The interactive ability to monitor emissions at a street level will provide the ability for everyone, not just scientists or governments, to monitor CO2 emissions in their own communities. With this knowledge in hand we can report what has gone unnoticed, or when companies using fossil fuels are violating their emission limits.
Google Earth has developed a global resource. It is a major stride in the fight to save our planet.
As individuals we too can take action to make a difference, it is no longer a choice, it is an absolute necessity. If you are reading this, you are part of a community that is passionate about putting pressure on our elected officials to pass ACES.
The means to make a difference are available by joining DK's eco advocacy group, DKGreenroots Group and DKGreenroots Forum. If you are interested in having a voice on the ACES climate change legislation, please join our Adopt A Senator whip project, which is described by Meteor Blades and RL Miller.
Seeing is believing