Mapping CO2 emissions
Will we ever stop being amazed at the latest news from Google Earth? Not content with recently adding water, Google Earth is more than ever proving to be a wonderful tool, as used by Purdue University (Indiana). A team of researchers has created a Google Earth layer mapping CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in the US, offering the world a great tool to better understand the where, what and why of climate change. You can see in more details how much emissions come from aircrafts, land travel, electricity production and whatnot.
From the Purdue University website:
Kevin Gurney, who leads the project, said Vulcan helps demystify the connection between fossil fuel use and climate change."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."
I could complain that such a layer should be applied to the entire planet, but their research apparently already took them three years already for one country, so I'll simply congratulate them.
Go check it out - you don't need Google Earth for it, only a plug-in in your browser.
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