Google Earth Shows the Effects of Global Warming
Google recently launched Earth Outreach as part of an effort to provide non-profit and public benefit organizations the knowledge and resources they need to reach hearts and minds in the ongoing struggle to raise awareness about global warming and climate change. Their environment and science showcase provides links to some of the more helpful and informative tools in the collection. You have to have Google Earth installed in order to view the files.
YouTube: Google Earth Outreach Layers | More Videos
The new Google Earth application can show you how global warming will affect the Earth and you over the next century. To watch it in action you must have the latest version of Google Earth installed.
Through this new Google Earth presentation you can watch the process of global warming exactly the way scientists see it. Once you download the global warming KML file (that can be viewed in Google Earth) you can visit various years and by individual regions and countries you’ll be able to see the impact of global warming. You can click on the regions and watch the impact of global warming on local populations.
The most drastic effect, the file shows, will be at the poles. In the next 50 years there will be no snow at the poles.
The animation begins at the year 1999 and as you move the cursor rightwards the years progress, gradually changing the colors of various regions, varying from blue to yellow to dark red. The dark red color shows the density of the heat, and after a century, the great amount of heat will be accumulate over the Polar Regions and that will cause utter devastation.
“Climate Change in Our World,” as the file is called, is a joint venture of The Met Office Hadley Center, British Antarctic Survey and the UK government.
Sample Outreach Tools
Great Green Buildings
This KML showcases buildings across the United States that are included in the Department of Energy’s High Performance Buildings Database, which features buildings that meet certain energy and environmental performance guidelines.
Current Air Quality
Updated every hour, air quality from hundreds of monitoring stations is shown giving a break down of the results. This type of KML can prove very useful for those with health problems (and those providing care), allowing them to plan their movement better and prepare for any potential issues that may arise from a peak in pollutants.
Climate Change In Our World
The Met Office Hadley Centre, British Antarctic Survey and UK Government have harnessed Google Earth technology to present you with an interactive animation showing how climate change and global temperature rises could affect our world over the next 100 years.
Global Database of Dams
Dr Mark Mulligan from Kings College London is one individual who is facilitating this effort by providing a KML in which you, the user can explore and contribute to collecting a global database of dams.
Black Tides: The Worst Oil Spill Disasters in History
This KML provides an account of “Black Tides” from the 1960’s onwards - each spill represented by a ‘polygon’ and description balloon providing photographs and additional information.
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May 26th, 2008
I don’t think global warming will stop until the petroleum prices become unaffordable. America’s Hunger for fuel is too strong.
May 26th, 2008
The high price of petroleum is making it possible to introduce non-petroleum based transportation.
I think we’ll look back on the 20th Century as the age of petroleum as we now look back on the 19th Century as the age of steam.
And coal is in the process of going away as well. Renewables are becoming as cheap as coal for generating electricity and promise to become less so as the price of coal increases.
It’s very interesting that market forces are working to get CO2 out of the atmosphere. Perhaps not as quickly as we would want, but at least we aren’t having to work against the market.
June 6th, 2008
Just read “The world without Us” and there are great thought provoking passages highlighting just how stupid we really are as a species. The things we have done, are doing and continue to do to one another and the planet is especially dumb. We deserve everything we will get Sow what we reap they say. Unless we tackle the issue of energy, food, religion, pollution in a Universal mandatory way we really are on the brink of catastrophe. With the demands for energy in India, China (who are raping Africa), and the like , the depletion of arable land, the instability of weather patterns, the control of the human birth rate, the consumption and desire we have will strip the thin veneer of civilization and small self sufficient gated communities of thinking humans will become a reality. Off Grid, alternative energy sources are there practically for free yet with some incredible blindness we insist on not embracing the one true source of power “THE SUN” and whole heartedly using it and subsequent spin off energy such as wind, thermo ground energy, wave energy, bacteria energy, the list can go on and on . sadly we stutter along like sheep linked to some huge corporates roller ball believing that as long as we have our little lot then that is enough. WAKE UP and smell the roses, cos they might not be here soon , (no Bees)
I believe the steps can be direct from the people to change business, Government legislation , United nations programmes and the like or as simple as each thinking household to make a change themselves in their own homes.
on a broader scale countries should actively encourage mass business opportunity to develop alternative industry models that can change transport and environment that we live in.
June 10th, 2008
Stuart,
Dude - what a whiner you are. Everything is bad, oh my what will we do. People are evil and stupid (except for Stuart of course who is the only one in the world that knows what to do). Here is my recipe; push forward, develop technologies and advance the human empire. We’re here and our genetics tell us to grow and expand our reach. Grow a pair and get to work …