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World's first real-time carbon emissions counter adds a chilling 800 tons a second

World\'s first real-time carbon emissions counter adds a chilling 800 tons a second

Say hello to the next Doomsday Clock: Deutsche Bank has installed what's being hailed as the world's first real-time scientifically-calculated, carbon counter on a billboard outside New York City's Madison Square Garden. Grim stuff, but it's good to know — and for anyone wondering how accurate it is, BusinessGreen has the scoop:

MIT's John Reilly said the counter would lag slightly behind real time as the rate of increase in emissions would be based on data collected on a monthly basis. He also confirmed that the effect of seasonal variations had been stripped out from the data to give a better picture of the underlying rate of interest.

But he insisted that with the counter drawing on measurements from dozens of atmospheric stations around the world, it presented the most up-to-date information on greenhouse gas emissions.

Right now the counter's rising at a staggering 800 tons a seconds. If you want a little gloom and doom right in your home, you can even download a widget displaying the same data.

Kevin Parker, global head of Deutsche Bank's Asset Management division, said of the counter at its unveiling: "It will be a huge task to bring global emissions under control and my hope is that putting this data in public view will spur both governments and markets to move us more quickly to a low-carbon economy."

TreeHugger, via RedGreenandBlue

 
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(22) COMMENTS

OzzieBob:
Trying to argue with a CC skeptic is like wrestling a greasy pig. They will not changed their mind no matter what e...More »


Comments

By ilitirit at 5:58 PM ON 06/19/09

I wonder what kind of emissions the power source for that sign puts out. o_O

By JQPublic at 6:02 PM ON 06/19/09

Just another way to scare us into paying more taxes so that the liberals can give it to other liberals to scare us some more.

By agsb at 6:06 PM ON 06/19/09

I wonder how many tons of carbon based fuel is used to light the sign

By TearEmUp at 6:23 PM ON 06/19/09

When are the facts going to come out on CO2? The friction between the air we breath and the oceans generate CO2. Every breathing creature on this planet expels CO2. Green plants rely on CO2 for growth. Al Gore lied to you!

While I do agree it is our job to be the best stewards of our planet as possible, this Carbon Craze is a fallacy. When the founder of the Weather Channel has suspicions that should tell you not to buy this theory hook, line and sinker.

By Chris Downs at 6:26 PM ON 06/19/09

-powering the sign uses energy that's probably not solar (no info posted on it)
-powering those dozens of atmospheric stations around the world uses energy
-creating the sign produced many kinds of waste and pollutants
-the color of the sign probably absorbs so much sunlight that the building it's covering has to run A/C's all day long.

bump at top 3 posters :)

By murc at 6:27 PM ON 06/19/09

dumb sign.

global warming is a load of crap.

By Chris Downs at 6:29 PM ON 06/19/09

@ tearemup

http://dvice.com/archives/2008/10/carbon_nanotube.php ->(sarcasm started a good convo on here haha)

By stargate525 at 8:44 PM ON 06/19/09

Useful only if you put another one under there that tracks how many tons we're shooting into the air by BREATHING.

By billybeancounter at 10:25 PM ON 06/19/09

3 Words...... Dumb

By Dan at 11:06 AM ON 06/20/09

More Douche bank than Deutsche bank.

By Eco Cultist at 2:32 PM ON 06/20/09

Saving the world, one large worthless sign at a time.

By Brass Orchid at 3:07 PM ON 06/20/09

Um... What if the thickest strata of ice, supposedly taking the longest to collect, came from a very warm world in a surprisingly short time? What if the lower carbon dioxide levels in this 'Ice Age' ice are caused by an explosion of greenery in a warmer world? Shouldn't there be anti-suicidal-conclusion-jumping guardrails on the bridge to the twenty-first century?

By JohnSteele at 9:33 PM ON 06/20/09

It can be as "accurate" as they like, its still cr*p.

By Global Boring at 3:00 AM ON 06/21/09

By my calculations, we're diluting the atmosphere with carbon by 0.00001513728% per year.

I'm terrified. (yawn)

By Scorpius at 11:30 PM ON 06/21/09

I'm sorry, but where did the national debt tracker go? Oh, the savior of mankind, The One (Teh Noob) is now in office.

By KevinDC5 at 3:45 PM ON 06/22/09

WOW, and they say conservatives are the fear mongers! I think this sign describes the budget deficit under obaama! liberalism=socialism

By jeff at 8:31 PM ON 06/22/09

Please read this!

http://www.junkscience.com/Greenhouse/

http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/ice_ages.html

Approximately 99.72% of the "greenhouse effect" is due to natural causes -- mostly water vapor and traces of other gases, which we can do nothing at all about. Eliminating human activity altogether would have little impact on climate change.

Human "Greenhouse gases" in Earth's atmosphere also influence Earth's temperature, but in a much smaller way. Human additions to total greenhouse gases play a still smaller role, contributing about 0.2% - 0.3% to Earth's greenhouse effect.

By Anonymous at 11:21 AM ON 06/23/09

I'm proud to see other fellow skeptics refusing to swallow the crap science surrounding the man-made global warming myth. Don't ever let foolish hypocrites scare you into their belief system. We would do best to ignore reactionary hype and simply rely on empirical evidence when dealing with critical matters such as this.

By aliasmadrona at 12:35 PM ON 06/23/09

cast a green shadow
visit my website get involved..
www.webstarts.com/aliasmadrona

By manu at 11:55 PM ON 06/23/09

Doomsday Clock..really it is....im sure its not yet too late ...we can still do somthing.....to prolong earths life....Lets overhaul the planet.

By Domcoppinger at 11:11 PM ON 06/26/09

I have got to say that although fine the whole global warming issue has been blown out of proportion it is still excatly that... An "issue"! There is no way that the majority of publicised scientists can be wrong about such a controversial issue and yet every obne of you has said someting to the effect of "global warming does now exist" or "its not really a problem" I have to tell you that it is a problem... Wether is is a problem for us.... or our children.... or their children... Or anyone for that matter is it right for us to cause a problem that, as you have all pointed out, we will not be around to face the consequences of?

And please don't just jump down my throat as I am the only one to speak up and a tleast take some time to consider what I have said!

By OzzieBob at 2:05 AM ON 10/28/09

Trying to argue with a CC skeptic is like wrestling a greasy pig. They will not changed their mind no matter what evidence is produce. The major driving factor in their skepticism is that they do not want to change their extravagant carbon indulgent lifestyle. Humanity just has to hope that their children and their children's children take control of the future.


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