Virtual Carbon Footprint Map
Scientists from the Vulcan Project at Purdue University have created an extraordinary piece of software that tracks the carbon emissions of the entire continental United States. This exciting virtual map has the potential of becoming an effective way to analyze and try to solve the climate change puzzle. The current data map only contains emissions from 2002, but more recent years are being analyzed and the project’s ultimate goal is to “build a computer-based world in which all processes that emit fossil fuel carbon dioxide (CO2) at the planetary surface can be simulated, visualized, analyzed, and used by multiple stakeholders as they engage the climate change problem.”
YouTube: Revolutionary Co2 Map | More Videos
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May 14th, 2008
I don’t think it will fix global warming as a whole but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Global warming isn’t caused by one thing, its a giant collaboration of many different sources. This tool however could be very essential in showing what is next to come, which would in turn get people more tuned in to how serious this issue really is. Its just a shame our country waited so long. The biggest super-power in the known world and yet very little power was put behind our incredible environment.
May 14th, 2008
Correct. And remember that some of the point sources are naturally occurring. We aren’t responsible for all of them.
But we do need to take responsibility for those that we did create.
May 16th, 2008
Yes I understand that. I think we need to realize that the carbon emissions that we did not cause are or that are naturally occurring, is part of the natural life cycle. I know that the carbon emissions today are higher than any other past time in the past 100,000 years, however this high increase in carbon is just one little blip in the long scheme of things. This being said, I don’t believe that this high carbon amount is the biggest issue out there facing the environment, however I do think that if we can improve it than by all means we should.
May 18th, 2008
Check out this US Carbon Footprint Map, an interactive United States Carbon Footprint Map, illustrating Greenest States. This site has all sorts of stats on individual State energy consumptions, demographics and State energy offices.
http://www.eredux.com/states/
February 12th, 2009
Whether or not “we” created the problem, it still exists.
I believe different software can - at least - illustrate the problem, and make people think of how to solve it. Take a quick look at the pictures in this article; imagine how big an impact it might have if people turned off some of their electrical appliances, and started riding bikes/buses etc.
People need to change their behavior instead of just demanding a general solution to the energy problems.