Full-Circle: Group 5

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Blue Marble

Global Focus Local Action

 

Idea

Blue Marble is a global platform designed to connect individuals and groups to take meaningful action against the climate crisis. By fostering collaboration, sharing resources, and amplifying impactful initiatives, the app empowers users to make measurable progress toward sustainability. With an emphasis on accessibility and inclusivity, Blue Marble inspires collective efforts to protect and thrive on our shared planet.

It encapsulates social and community engagement, with behavioural nudges, supported by AI.  It will be a simple interface and use notifications similar to those used by duolingo/noom to continue engagement including streaks/likes/high fives etc.

Pitch: Climate change poses an existential threat that is challenging to detect at a local and human scale, and that is challenging to resolve with individual actions. Our digital environment is structured to allow individuals to select the climate emergency (impact) relevant to their own daily lives (drought, nuisance flooding, heat), and to determine actions they can contribute to that reduce their carbon footprint. They will be able to join global communities that share their chosen actions, communicate with them, and visualize their individual and collective reductions to the global CO2 budget, and on their selected impact.

Actors will select an avatar and develop a carbon footprint. They will be informed about climate vulnerabilities relevant in their region based on global observations, and then they can select an impact relevant to them. Then they will select an action that fits their personal goals (e.g. take public transport, choose green energy, drive on electricity). Each day, when they open the app, they are presented with a spinning globe filled with points of light representing Blue Marble actors that have realized their action (above panel 1).  This zooms into their avatar with their carbon footprint (above, panel 2). When, they achieve their goals, they can inform the app who will alter their avatar (above, panel 3). Their personal animation that begins with an avatar from whom, particles of red CO2 are emitted, the reductions due to their actions are then colored green or blue, so that their individual actions are highlighted. The frame then zooms out toward the globe (panel 4) where their red (active) and blue (reduced) co2 particles are advected in the prevailing wind flow around the globe. Points of light representing other actors in the global Blue Marble world that selected the same individual action then begin to emit their own red and blue particles that swirl around the globe in the atmospheric wind field (panel 5). Then we see all the actors in the Blue Marble community emitting their collective emissions and emissions reductions (6) . Then, an estimate of the collective emissions if every person in the world (lights on the globe) selected these actions begins to swirl into the atmosphere in red and blue (7, blue on top so very visible). Finally, the Co2 swirls vanish and a global map of the change possible in the selected impact is displayed (e.g. nuisance flooding), and this zooms back to a region relevant to the user (8). The person animation that zooms back to the user scale and the local effect of the collective action. (9)

Complimentary Features

We can use AI to offer similar actions to actors that their groups might also be doing. (e.g. Netflix/Spotify). We will also provide resources, an community discussion area where people could both interact virtually, but also plan larger local projects where they might want to meet in person. We might want to provide a visual token for people to engage in person, such as a bracelet with beads for “Blue Marble” and “Action A”. We might provide toolkits for high school teachers to lead courses where students take actions and reach into their communities to encourage engagement with more actions. Resources might also include a nature prescription or meditation moment for climate stress, as well as community resilience creation in the event of a climate event.

We will build the app using open science and FAIR data practices so that users can build onto the platform in an open and transparent manner analogous to the R and Python development communities. Funds from the sale of bracelets (below) and other merchandise can be used to sustain the app after the initial development phase.

Climate Phenomenon

Our concept is grounded in CO2 emissions as the primary driver of climate change. However, we also note that individuals and local communities have different concerns and priorities as well as identities. Thus we want the users (which we call Actors to imply action rather than passive use) to decide what climate impacts they are concerned about, and what level and intensity of actions they wish to take. The criterion for an action is then that it should relate to reducing carbon emissions. Possible impacts include (but not limited to):

• Extreme events (hurricanes, nor’easter’s, floods, heat events).
• Agriculture/Aquaculture/fisheries relevant: Growing season length, sea level rise, ocean acidification, disrupted ecosystems.
• Human Health: Infections disease, heat effects, air pollution, insect borne disease.

Scientific Findings

Our app will be based in validated science. The basis for carbon reductions will be grounded in peer review science, and the impact of CO2 reductions will be based on global climate model output. To simplify the process, we will select a single climate model as a basis, then perform attribution studies to determine how each of our impacts is altered by varying reductions in CO2. We will then emulate the global model output by using AI to relate past baseline model impacts to CO2 level – this will result in the ability to rapidly compute the implications of varying CO2 emissions levels.

A challenge: The long lifespan of CO2 means that a lot of change is baked in, so we will use anomalies based on present day as our baseline rather than a preindustrial scenario so that impact is more visible.

Human Impact

• The population(s) that will be affected/where they are located

Populations most affected by sea level rise are those living in low-lying coastal areas, particularly in countries like Bangladesh, China, India, and small island nations in the Pacific, as these regions are highly vulnerable to flooding and coastal erosion due to rising sea levels; this includes communities in river deltas, major port cities, and areas with high population density along the coast.

Key points about populations affected by sea level rise:

• Geographic vulnerability: People living in low-lying coastal areas, especially on small islands and river deltas.
• Developing countries: Populations in developing countries disproportionately affected due to limited resources to adapt to sea level rise.
• Socioeconomic factors: Low-income communities/marginalized groups within coastal areas often face greater vulnerability .

Specific regions at high risk: Sea Level Rise

• South Asia: Bangladesh, India, and coastal regions of Pakistan
• Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia
• Pacific Islands: Kiribati, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands
• East Coast of the United States: Florida, Louisiana, and other coastal states

Ocean Acidification Populations

Examples of impacted communities:

Pacific Northwest, USA: Communities reliant on oyster farming are experiencing significant challenges due to ocean acidification.

Alaska: Fisheries in Alaska are at risk due to the effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems.

Caribbean islands: Coral reefs in the Caribbean are threatened by acidification, which can affect tourism and local economies.

Coastal communities in Europe: Regions with significant shellfish industries in Europe are also vulnerable to the impacts of ocean acidification

Human Contributor(s)

• Key individual activities that cause CO2 emissions:
• Voting?
• Choices/ Habits?
  • Housing
  • Transportation
• Transportation:
  • Driving cars, riding motorcycles, flying, using public transportation powered by fossil fuels.
• Diet
• Food Choices:
  • Eating large amounts of meat, especially from factory farms, which produce significant greenhouse gases.
• Discretionary (vacations; recreation…)
• Consumption
• Consumerism:
  • Buying large quantities of goods that require energy-intensive production and transportation.
• Other
• Waste Disposal:
  • Throwing away food and other organic materials that can produce methane in landfills.
• Energy Consumption at Home:
  • Using electricity from fossil fuel power plants, heating and cooling homes with gas or oil, using appliances that consume high energy.
• Who does it?
• Why do they do it?
• What need or desire does it serve?
  • Biological, social, cultural

Change Theory

• What could they do instead?

  1. Transportation choices:

     Walking, biking, using public transportation, carpooling, driving fuel-efficient vehicles, and reducing unnecessary car trips; consider electric vehicles when buying a new car.

  2. Energy conservation at home:

     Turning off lights when not in use, using energy-efficient appliances, adjusting thermostat settings, insulating your home, and switching to LED light bulbs.

  3. Diet changes:

     Eating less meat, especially red meat, and opting for plant-based options.

  4. Waste reduction:

     Recycling properly, composting food scraps, minimizing packaging, and buying products with minimal waste.

  5. Water conservation:

     Fixing leaky faucets, taking shorter showers, and using water-efficient appliances.

  6. Sustainable shopping:

     Choosing products with eco-friendly labels, supporting local businesses, and buying durable goods to reduce the need for replacements

  7. Transportation choices:

     Walking, biking, using public transportation, carpooling, driving fuel-efficient vehicles, and reducing unnecessary car trips; consider electric vehicles when buying a new car.

  8. Energy conservation at home:

     Turning off lights when not in use, using energy-efficient appliances, adjusting thermostat settings, insulating your home, and switching to LED light bulbs.

  9. Diet changes:

     Eating less meat, especially red meat, and opting for plant-based options.

  10. Waste reduction:

      Recycling properly, composting food scraps, minimizing packaging, and buying products with minimal waste.

  11. Water conservation:

      Fixing leaky faucets, taking shorter showers, and using water-efficient appliances.

  12. Sustainable shopping:

      Choosing products with eco-friendly labels, supporting local businesses, and buying durable goods to reduce the need for replacements

  13. Renewable energy:

      Exploring options to switch to renewable energy sources like solar panels for your home.

  14. Planting trees:

      Contributing to tree planting initiatives in your community to absorb carbon dioxide.

  15. Travel choices:

      Reducing air travel, especially long-distance flights, and opting for train travel when possible.

  16. Raising awareness:

      Educating yourself and others about climate change and promoting sustainable practices.

• What might cause them to switch behaviors?
  • Regulation?
  • Changes in beliefs, attitudes, and intentions
  • Identifying with a community,
  • Habit formation,
  • Providing a positive reward system
  • Altruism facilitated by a sense of agency
  • Emotion through community building and the stories/art/writings of Actors in your groups.
  • Interactivity – gives engagement and participation
• Social science
  • Who is the population? The internet enabled global population that believes in climate science and may not have yet been motivated to make a change. Over time, we expect this group of motivated Actors to draw in more people.
    • Are “they,” us? Yes
    • How do they define themselves?
    • What do they need? They define the impacts they are concerned about.
    • What do they want? A sense that they can make a difference
  • What does social science theory suggest might be promising approaches to changing those actions?
  •  Laws, policies, regulations?
  • Voluntary changes motivated by
    • Economic incentives?
    • Fear of harm and loss?
    • Evolving socio-culture values?
    • Evolving social and cultural norms?
    • Ease and expedience?
    • Appeal to identity?
    • Other?

Communication Theory

• Beyond informing clearly…
• Don’t assume best interests – ALLOWING THEM TO CHOOSE THEIR BEST INTEREST
• Rhetorical approach
• Stories
  • Personal
  • Emotional
    • Adopt duolingo type notificatons.
    • Encourage Actors to post their personal stories and art.
• Counter narratives
• Reinterpret cultural values
  • Positive v. negative. Hope v. fear: Positive and Hope

Communication Asset or Action

• A mobile application that supports modular platform to engage individuals in communities.  The idea is to share, learn, and take action with a community passionate about the health of the planet, from reducing emissions to advocating for local change. Our goal is to turns individual efforts into collective impact, empowering users to make a difference through collaboration, education, and real-time climate insights.
  • Everyone
  • Mobile application with a complementary web version.
  • Mobile device/Computer
  • Our design will be intentionally modular.  People will sign up and join the community they are interested in and the actions that are important and achievable to them personally.  This will be driven by AI. To allow predictions for joining new groups and also new actions.
  • Duolingo type reminders streaks and badges
  • User could post multimedia sharing. Performance, VLOG, artwork, links (think LinkedIN).  Have a feed that you can post to.
  • This will be a sleek modern design that appeals to a global audience.
  • Integration with watch.
  • Privacy/security issues – ensure no bots.
• Performance
  • People will engage with the app to track their actions, and also be able to share/post feeds.
  • Everyone
  • Daily -wherever – mobile.
• Major Experiences
  • As a resilience tool
  • Mark self safe, post resources
  • Links wellbeing with climate change people could be a resource.
  • Meditation and Wellness – Meditation moments. Walks in nature. Nature RX Tailored to needs/time/location.

Evaluation

• Number of users. BAKED IN
• Activity on the APP
• Events/Outcomes on APP
• AI PATTERN RECOGNITION
• Research method (sketch)