Google Earth climate change map unveiled
Updated on 14 July 2010
As the coalition launches a Google Earth map showing the potential impact of temperature rises across the world, Science Correspondent Julian Rush examines how the government is continuing to push for a global climate change deal.
The map was launched by the Department of Energy and Climate Climate Change (DECC) and the Foreign Office, based on a map first launched last year.
It allows users to see what would be the impact of climate change on different areas if rising temperatures are not curbed, from rising sea levels, changes in the amount of crops that can be grown and availability of water.
The map is based on temperature data from the Met Office Hadley Centre, and will be regularly updated. It also features videos of scientists talking about their research.
Government chief scientist Professor John Beddington said a rise of four degrees Celcius would be a "disaster".
Greg Barker, the climate change minister, said the map was designed to boost public engagement, but said government could not just "hector" from the side-lines.
"A lot of this is about the tone - there was a slight sense the climate community, and politicians are a large part of that, got what was coming to it.
"It was being a little too preachy, had a little bit of a high moral tone."
Ed Parsons from Google said: "This is a great example of the benefits of using the latest web technology to visualise scientific information and promote better understanding of the potential impacts of climate change."
Moving climate change from a problem to an opportunity
This new coalition government says it does want to be the greenest government and it does want to continue the momentum towards a global agreement on climate change, reports Science Correspondent Julian Rush.
So with the Google map it's trying to make it easy for people to understand the science. Launching the map today the chief scientist John Beddington described the criticisms of the climate science as being "saloon bar scepticism", which gives you a sense of who worried the government actually is.
But once you start highlighting temperature rises like this of four degrees you risk causing climate alarmism. The government is very keen that it wants to get its green deal underway as quickly as possible. It wants to move away form the idea that climate change is a problem to the idea that climate change is an opportunity for green business.
In terms of the global deal the aim now is to have a meeting in Cancun at the end of this year to try and get things underway and then potentially reach a final deal in Johannesburg in 18 months time.
