Your Local Climate

One reason for the striking decline in public concern about global warming may be the name itself: too remote from home, too abstract. A new, interactive Google Earth map could change that. Designed by a team led by scientists from Purdue University, the map will show carbon dioxide emissions by state and county, using data from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. The eventual goal is to show emissions at the level of individual buildings. The project is named Vulcan -- for the Roman god of fire. See more at purdue.edu/eas/carbon/vulcan/GEarth.