| The Breathing Earth: Watch as the World Changes |
| Written by Hank Green | ||
| Tuesday, 12 September 2006 | ||
I know the figures. Ever hour of every day, thousands of people are
born and over a million tons of carbon dioxide are used. As for people
dying, well, there's a lot of that too, just not as much as there are
people being born.
But David Bleja, a student at Monash University in Melbourne Australia has put together a flash visualization of all of this and it is riveting. Load up breathingearth.net and watch as carbon dioxide is exhaled, babies are born and people die. Sometimes it's creepy, to think of the hundreds of lives you've watched snuff out. And then for a while, it was just really scary. A country flashes red every time it finished producing 1000 tons of CO2. The US flashes every 5.4 seconds, more than any other country, while you'd have to wait 11 days for Vanatu to flash. But, after a while of watching (and really, for a long time I couldn't stop,) I started feeling rather inspired and impressed. This is what our Earth can handle. Billions of people doing their thing. Babies popping out of moms all over, several times per second. Eyes going dark, tears falling. People working, and living, and laughing, all a part of eachother's lives. All unavoidably clueless of things going on just miles away, nevermind on the other side of the earth. I often catch myself thinking that the most profound affect of technology on the environment will be to help people understand the truth of the situation I'm in. That's what the Breathing Earth does.
Comments
(6)
Visualisations...
written by GTW , September 13, 2006
are always great to bring things into perspective. It's an eye-opener for the less-caring.
...
written by Rob , September 13, 2006
That's really quite frightening, the rate at which CO2 is being released.
It's rather disappointing to see the UK releasing 1000 tonnes per minute. Just how much punishment can the planet take? If you are interested there is another of these real time consumption meters at: http://www.worldometers.info/
You should care *&^!%#
written by Jason , September 14, 2006
Ever since I was young, I've been the outdoors type. I walk wherever I go, I try to get all the businesses and the cities around me to keep up with the recycling and not throw away as much. Of course, I'm just glad that at least 50% of this gets through.
Like you said before, it's an eye-opener for the less caring. Well, we have to get them to care some how!!! For me, it's the fact that my area is STILL in a drought that I can show them these items that help us.
climate changes
written by polly , August 13, 2007
Now this is what i like to see!!!!! i just love these articles on global warming. they really help to get the word out that our climate is really changing dramatically. And i would like to say that next time you pick up the keys for your car think of the earth and other methods of transportation, such as a bicycle or walking!!!!
Peace out, Polly
Wow
written by Elizabeth Raver , December 07, 2007
That is so amazing to watch. The birth and death rates are very interesting and it's also very frightening to see the amount of CO2 that is released every second. I am a long-time green queen, and this is very disturbing. People need to slow down and take notice; the planet will survive without us, but not the other way around...
Cautious Cutie pie!
written by Uncle B , September 26, 2008
Tender spot hurting a lot? Other side too? bruises on your face and body throbbing? Is that blood running out your nose, skirt above your head in the wind, panties torn and soiled, titties swelling and turning blue by the minute, lost on the roadside, hoping not to die? Did you recognize the tail lights of the limo that threw you off? Was it the same limo that picked you up at election time, promising a good decent clean ride? Will you ever learn? Last time these guys did this to you, your sons were killed in Iraq and your retirement fund spent to do it, your taxes went up, you did not get destroyed by the weapons of mass destruction, they were never found. Poor little American. Our heart-felt prayers from Canada go out to you!
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