This Is How Your City Looks Under Water

You know your crazy uncle who doesn't believe in climate change? You should share this with him. If the recent news that NASA referred to west Antarctic glacier melt (which alone could raise global sea levels up to four feet) as "unstoppable" won't convince him that our environment may be irretrievably screwed, perhaps the "World Under Water" project will help him see the light.

The interactive initiative was created for Carbonstory, a crowdfunding platform for climate change projects, by ad agencies BBDO and Proximity Singapore in preparation for World Environment Day on June 5. It uses data from Google Streetview to show people what their neighborhoods might look like if sea levels rose to the precipitous levels that rapid climate change could eventually bring. Just type in any address and you will get a feel for the waterlogged world our grandchildren could be living in if we don't make drastic changes to our behaviors and environmental policies, STAT. Listen to Kevin Costner, won't you?

We've already seen renderings of what certain cities and low-lying coastal areas would look like if sea levels rose to these heights, and this handy infographic shows how long it will take for cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and NYC to be totally submerged\.

But something tells me your uncle doesn't live in San Francisco, now does he? Perhaps he lives somewhere rural or conservative in the middle of the country? Just a hunch. The beauty of this Crowdstory tool is that it shows people in those landlocked areas, places that would be less immediately effected by this particular symptom of climate change, what their own homes would look like in instances of intense flooding — so even if they think that us crazy liberals in New York City are better off underwater anyway, maybe this will help them feel some sympathy.

All I know is that after looking at pictures of my Manhattan neighborhood...

My childhood home...

and my office building...

I definitely clicked the "Take Action" button on the Carbonstory website.

Images: Worldunderwater.org