Composers who work with this data set will help spread the word on the potential to reduce human-led climate change, so audiences can hear the effects of our actions on the world. Changing our behaviors now—by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, slowing population growth, and changing our relationship with the natural landscape—can reduce climate change and keep us within a livable climate. Telling this story will help us change course towards a more equitable and livable future.
Key points:
- The theme of this story is centered around our reality and our choices.
- We’re already on the road to a warmer world, with profound consequences for society as we know it. But we have choices for the future, depending on how we act now.
Reminder: the core of our collaboration is your interaction with our science team; this page is only to provide a reference to the science outside of our interactions.
If you want to learn more…
Three main human activities that drive climate change are:
- carbon dioxide emissions
- population growth
- how we alter the natural landscape
The historical data for this story goes back to 1880, and two different future trajectories extend until 2080: one where we change our behaviors, and one where we don’t.
The Past
The Industrial Revolution allowed us to tap into fossil energy sources and develop fertilizers, leading to rapid economic growth and an explosion in human population size. Burning fossil fuels for energy produces the greenhouse gas, CO2, which accumulates in the atmosphere and oceans, causing warming. Forests and grasslands were converted into cropland, pastures, and urban areas to feed and support our growing society. This land use change, or how we alter the natural landscape, is also a critical dimension to climate change. Plants and soils absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, but they lose this ability when the land is over-farmed. Our CO2 emissions, growing population, and land use change are affecting the physical earth system and air temperature. The outcome is the rapid and profound climate change we’re experiencing today, which will continue into the future.
The Future
Climate change will have profound consequences for human life and society, but we still have choices that will influence the severity of these consequences. In this story, we present two scenarios: one in which rapid action is taken now, and one with little or no action. These two scenarios, known as Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6 and 8.5, are defined by climate scientists and track the different choices society can make and the respective impacts on our climate. Each scenario includes different assumptions about population growth, energy consumption, energy sources, economic growth, and land transformation.
Audio References (sonifications)
These sonification files (carbon dioxide emission data) by composer Mary (Molly) Monahan are provided to give you an intuitive way to understand the data. Three diverse versions are included here, reflecting a wide range of creative possibilities. Note: A gong sounds when the data reaches the present day, and BAU=”Business as Usual”and MIT=”We Act Now”.
Version 1: “Business as usual”
Version 1: “If we act now”
Version 2: “Business as usual”
Version 2: “If we act now”
Version 3: “Business as usual”
Version 3: “If we act now”
Other Resources
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