Alternative Fuels Now

We hear all the time about the climate models scientists are putting together, and about the average rise in temperature throughout the globe. But it all seems a little bit abstract. Until you click on this link (assuming you have the most recent version of Google Earth.)

The link is to a KMZ file created by the U.K. government’s Met Office, and it’ll show you exactly what climate scientists are seeing. They’ve loaded a Google Earth skin with medium-range, accepted climate data. It shows some pretty significant increases right now. But the real scare happens after you click “play.”

The KMZ file takes you through the next hundred years of climate change, which has particularly startling consequences for the north pole. While average increase in global temperatures might only be a few degrees, areas of the Arctic Ocean will increase by as much as 18 degrees C.

The file is also filled with data on expected regional impacts, which include water shortages throughout the US and an ice-free arctic by 2050.

Thanks to Google and Met for putting this together, it’s pretty fascinating to see this data in such a simple and dramatic way.

Via Google Earth Blog