OVER AT ATTP
Michael Tobis and I have been discussing the pros and cons of focusing the attention of individuals on their share of the global commons- few realize that their share of the air is the better part of a million tonnes, or that the CO2 in it could be turned into a block of dry ice roughly the size of a SUV
RealClimate often complains with cause about efforts to denigrate the significance of CO2:
Several commenters observed that this works out to about a kilogram per square meter of man-made CO2 globally, raising an interesting educational possibility: turn the kilogram-per- square-meter meme into a public art theme.
Passers-by given to parroting playbook mantras like :
A major museum courtyard might host a pyramid of stacked dry ice blocks containing one person's share of the anthropogenic CO2 they add to the air - about 20 tonnes of the stuff.
Infrared thermal cameras could set up upwind and downwind of the two story tall pyramid, and flat screen displays could allow passers by to see their thermal glow disappear as IR opaque plumes of CO2 waft between them and the thermal imaging cameras.
Michael Tobis and I have been discussing the pros and cons of focusing the attention of individuals on their share of the global commons- few realize that their share of the air is the better part of a million tonnes, or that the CO2 in it could be turned into a block of dry ice roughly the size of a SUV
RealClimate often complains with cause about efforts to denigrate the significance of CO2:
The global CO2 rise: the facts, Exxon and the favorite denial tricks
Filed under:
— stefan @ 25 January 2018
The basic facts about the global increase of CO2 in our atmosphere are clear and established beyond reasonable doubt. Nevertheless, I’ve recently seen some of the old myths peddled by “climate skeptics” pop up again. Are the forests responsible for the CO2 increase? Or volcanoes? Or perhaps the oceans?Let’s start with a brief overview of the most important data and facts about the increase in the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere:
- Since the beginning of industrialization, the CO2 concentration has risen from 280 ppm (the value of the previous millennia of the Holocene) to now 405 ppm...
Several commenters observed that this works out to about a kilogram per square meter of man-made CO2 globally, raising an interesting educational possibility: turn the kilogram-per- square-meter meme into a public art theme.
Passers-by given to parroting playbook mantras like :
" What can four hundredths of one per cent of the invisible Gas of Life possibly do ? "could be politely invited to step into a one square meter plexiglass telephone booth with a wet floor, to elicit a Holy Smoke! reaction when a kilo of powdered dry ice is sprinkled at their feet.
A major museum courtyard might host a pyramid of stacked dry ice blocks containing one person's share of the anthropogenic CO2 they add to the air - about 20 tonnes of the stuff.
Infrared thermal cameras could set up upwind and downwind of the two story tall pyramid, and flat screen displays could allow passers by to see their thermal glow disappear as IR opaque plumes of CO2 waft between them and the thermal imaging cameras.
This would turn your share of the CO2 problem into something easy to see and mighty hard to ignore:
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| A PYRAMID OF DRY ICE TALLER THAN YOU ARE |
Members of the conceptual art commisioning classes are invited to contact the author about installations
