Page 4 - Green Builder Magazine Sept-Oct 2021

EDITOR’S NOTE
The Inside Scoop

Irrefutable Imagery

Can better data visualization win over Climate Change skeptics?

P ERHAPS THE GREATEST OBSTACLE TO ADOPTING A “DECARBONIZED” FUTURE is
convincing human beings that the changes affecting earth’s current weather patterns and systems
are real, substantial and way-of-life threatening.
Better story telling can help. What if we could all agree on certain graphics that capture the
“big picture?”
I know what you’re thinking: No imagery or data will convince everyone. If human nature were
that predictable, the course of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic might have gone differently. For
the sake of argument however, maybe with Climate Change, we can tell the story better, with the
use of creative and authoritative imagery.
A new book titled “Atlas of the Invisible,” by geographer James Cheshire and designer Oliver Uberti,
attempts to do this by presenting evidence of man’s deepening impacts on the Earth, with unexpected “invisible” ways
of seeing.
For example, the duo tackles one of the most frustrat-
ing aspects of global warming: regional and seasonable
inconsistency. These anomalies provide ample fuel for
skeptics and their underwriters. Local or even nation-
wide weather patterns and temperatures sometimes run
counter to the “hottest year on record” headlines. Some
regions may have colder than normal winters, or bigger
than average blizzards and sudden bursts of precipita-
tion that run counter to the general drift of climate shifts.
To clear the air of this chatter, the Atlas presents data
cleverly. For example, to illustrate the rise of global tem-
peratures, the two men build a “grid” of detailed tiles
where tiny areas change color from blue to orange/red,
between 1899 and 2019, but overall colors are unaffected.
This way, the small anomalies that mark cold spots
Carbon-filled skies? This image shows the invisible carbon trails left by become insignificant in comparison to the overall
rise in global temperatures.
aircraft flying over Europe for a week. SOURCE: ATLAS OF THE INVISIBLE.COM
Why does comprehension of the problem
matter? Because without acceptance of the human role in creating issues such as air pollution, extreme
heat and wildfires, neither political nor architectural changes are likely to happen as swiftly as they
must. As any person with addiction issues (our shared one seems to be fossil fuels) can tell you, until
you acknowledge a problem, you won’t have the will to undertake healthy changes.
You’re about to dive into our annual building science issue. As you read about the many incredible
efforts by builders, architects and product makers (maybe you’re one of them) to reduce resource waste
and change our current climate trajectory, think about how you might use data constructively to
win clients over to net zero goalposts, upgrade their insulation, materials and HVAC, and remove Matt Power
themselves from the problem side of the global warming scenario. Editor-in-Chief
matt.power@greenbuildermedia.com
You can see a lot more imagery from the Atlas in this recently published Guardian article
(bit.ly/2WrQmO1), or order the book here (atlasoftheinvisible.com). GB

2 GREEN BUILDER September/October 2021 www.greenbuildermedia.com