Counters of Doom

A 70 ft. high carbon counter “clock” has been unveiled in New York City .The numbers display in real time measurements of greenhouse gases [Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), and Nitrous Oxide (N2O)]as compiled by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to Deutsche Bank the clocks creators it is meant to be “.. A simple but powerful way to highlight the growing dangers of global warming” Deutsche Bank is also active in lucrative carbon trading market abroad and has pushed for a similar system in the United States. So publicizing the rate at which the Earth is headed for certain doom may not be entirely without a bit of the profit motive. Maybe it is more real to some if ticked off on a giant clock and monetized somehow. However it will only help if this plays a part in limiting emissions .In that regard the giant sign method of corrective advertising for the good of mankind has a poor record .
Nearby the Deutsche Bank’s carbon clock is another older giant billboard that for twenty years has shown the US national debt.That clock has gone from $2.7 trillion to $11.4 trillion taking it’s biggest leap during the Bush years .All this begs the question;Is the frog capable of making any changes if he knows how fast the frying pan was being heated ?
Find carbon counter updates online at www.know-the-number.com.

The role of the counter is to spark people into thinking about the long-term impacts which aren't as obvious and are difficult to measure in real time.
Furthermore, the impacts of the rising GHG's [greenhouse gasses] are non-linear and the computer models developed to date are scenario based, meaning that impact will have variability depending on a complex set of interactions between the economy and the ecosystem. There are broad level changes that occur, but are not measured in real time, such as sea level rise, or temperature rise Another way to say it is that there are 800 tons of carbon being emitted every second, 2 billion tons a month. so in 5 mins, you can point out that 240,000 tons were emitted.

Ronald Prinn, professor of atmospheric science at MIT, explained the data behind the sign: "The number on the counter is based on global measurements. It shows the total estimated tonnage of greenhouse gases expressed as their equivalent amounts of carbon dioxide, with seasonal and other natural cyclical variations removed to more clearly reveal the underlying long-term trends driven by human and other activity."

Carbon throughout history
Table: Annual average GHG concentrations in CO2-e increase:

Year..........PPM.......Billion Metric Tons
2004 ---------453-------3,528
2005----------455-------3,549
2006----------458-------3,571
2007----------464-------3,620
2008----------464-------3,620
June ,2009----467-------3,636



Sources : NYTimes
Guardian.uk
Business Insider