Google Earth maps US carbon emissions

A Google Earth map of the US, that shows the carbon emissions of different areas, has been released as part of a NASA-backed project.

The interactive map uses colour coding to show the carbon emissions generated in different sites across the US.

Kevin Gurney, leader of the Vulcan project that released the map, said: “What was once the realm of scientists will now be provided directly to the public”.

Currently the map shows emissions from the burning of fossil fuels broken down by sector, including aircraft, commercial, electricity production, industrial, residential, and transport.

In the future, the project aims to track the carbon emissions of individual streets and buildings across the US.

“We’ll keep adding more information to enrich it,” said Gurney.

“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.”

The Vulcan project’s data was integrated with Google Earth by Google engineer Simon Ilyushchenko.

Ilyushchenko said he volunteered for the project to help Americans better understand the causes of climate change.

“Vulcan had great information, but was not easy for a non-scientist to analyse and understand,” Ilyushchenko said.

“Integrating the data with Google Earth was a way to advance public understanding of fossil fuel energy usage.”

Plans to use the map for policy decisions and public education are already underway.