Team Members: Almaha Almalki, Krithi Chandrakasan, Erick Friis, Aina Martinez Zurita
Our analysis of data in the World Bank CO2 emissions dataset showed a clear increase in the level of emissions around the world between the years 1990 and 2013. During this time frame worldwide emissions doubled with five countries responsible for over half of total global emissions. Additionally, to highlight the real impact of these rising emissions on society we integrated data showing a positive relationship between CO2 emissions and asthma rates. Between 1990 and 2013 asthma prevalence increased from 4.3 to 8.4%.
Our goal is to raise awareness about the harmful effects on human health that have come about as a result of increased CO2 emissions. We decided to present our data using a short video showing an arm reaching out and gradually choking a person as total C02 emissions rose around the world. The sleeve of the arm splits the emissions of the US, China, and the rest of the world. The width of the boxes change dimension to convey how their emissions have varied over time. We use captions above the arm to narrate the story with key dates and to tie in the important relationship with increased asthma rates.
Our sketch is targeting a general audience, as this is an issue that has the potential to affect all of us. The video with our data is purposely short and to the point, as it is intended to be shared in social media and understood even if the sound is off. While the video is somewhat humorous, the asthma data together with the image of suffocation sends a powerful message. We expect the audience to come away contemplating the impact of rising emissions.