We're the Sweetener

While we may indeed be the bitterness in this cup of coffee called the planet Earth, with our ability to constantly increase our knowledge and adjust our perspectives, we indubitably do also have the chance to be the sweetener.

The multitudinous facts of Global Climate Change do manage to make several issues of causality quite clear. Among them, we are All responsible for it; just by being alive at this time.

'REVOLUTIONARY' CO2 MAPS ZOOM IN ON GREENHOUSE GAS SOURCES

A new, high-resolution interactive map of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels has found that the emissions aren't all where we thought.

"For example, we've been attributing too many emissions to the northeastern United States, and it's looking like the southeastern U.S. is a much larger source than we had estimated previously," says Kevin Gurney, an assistant professor of earth and atmospheric science at Purdue University and leader of the project.
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"Ten years ago there might have been resistance to the notion of examining who is responsible for the CO2 emissions in such a visually detailed way," Gurney says. "However, what Vulcan makes utterly clear is that CO2 emissions cannot be exclusively affixed to SUV drivers, manufacturers or large power producers; everybody is responsible. We need to look for real solutions, and have a deeper discussion about energy use. It's not about politics. It's about doing good science and solving the problem, and we can all be a part of that."

The Vulcan data is available for anyone to download from the Web site at: http://www.eas.purdue.edu/carbon/vulcan.

A video of the maps and simulations of the atmospheric fate of fossil fuel CO2 also can be viewed on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJpj8UUMTaI.

[For the original story]