Almost all climate scientists agree climate change is caused by human action, according to NASA. However, as numerous organizations aim to transition to sustainable energy, many people are unsure of how to contribute.
The problem — the information pointing to the solution is far too complex for the public to understand.
A project run by Boston University faculty and students is currently working on a solution to ensure the public has access to reliable, easy-to-read data on energy use.
Visualizing Energy, an initiative founded by BU Earth and Environment professor Cutler Cleveland, aims to transform complex data sets about energy into engaging stories and accessible visualizations.
“The information needs to be delivered in a wide range of channels, and we’re just one way of doing that,” Cleveland said. “From peer review journal articles all the way down to TikTok videos or Instagram posts, high quality, trusted and verifiable information needs to be expanded on all fronts.”
The initiative currently runs stories in four areas: history of energy, energy sources, wellbeing and energy justice.
Each “data story” on the website walks readers through issues relating to energy. Cleveland said the team cites all of their data sources, including descriptions of what each source is and how they utilized it.
“The idea was to create an open-access platform where anyone can get the information,” Cleveland said. “Most importantly, it’s transparent.”
Tanai Dawson, a student researcher for the project, said part of her passion is simplifying complex data so that people can better inform their decisions.
“People don’t have access to the information to even begin to learn what’s going on in the world,” she said. “We need that accessibility for people to learn what’s going on and actually make decisions off of that.”
However, Dawson said recent issues involving the use of AI have caused a spread of information too rapid for people to fully comprehend, such as AI data centers using up enormous amounts of energy.
“All of that stuff is happening too quickly, and it’s hard to get all that information out at once and to let people know … how best to combat this,” she said.
Kevin Mortenson, a sophomore who joined the team this semester as a data visualizer, said he was drawn to the project after taking one of Cleveland’s classes.
“I thought the visualizations look great, and I went on the website, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is such an informative thing,'” Mortenson said. “Now, flash forward to this semester, and I get to be the behind the scenes part of that.”
Mortenson said the first major visualization he made used an interactive world map and comparison graph to visualize the average energy use per person across countries.
The majority of the information people hear about climate change is on a global scale, Mortenson said. He added that the project’s work using Massachusetts and Boston data will help spur change by localizing the cause.
“Visualizing Energy does a good job at tying it into your local community,” he said. “Seeing those same global trends manifest in your local area can help you be more involved.”
Cleveland said he hopes Visualizing Energy will not only educate, but empower people to participate in energy decision-making.
“Changes in energy systems historically have had tremendous impacts on the environment and human wellbeing,” he said. “As we transform the energy system towards cleaner sources of energy, people should know that it would be beneficial for them to participate in some way in helping make those decisions, even at a local level.”
Looking forward, the team is working on expanding the site’s accessibility and incorporating new technologies to reach a broader audience, Dawson said.
Mortenson said there is power in creating visuals out of information.
“At its core, a lot of times you have to see something to believe it,” he said. “We hear about a lot of problems and we see a lot of stories about problems on the news, but I feel like it really drives home the point if you can see, on a graph, the actual changes that are occurring.”
