Globe of consumption based CO2 emissions/capita

🌍 CO₂ Globe — Consumption-Based Emissions per Capita (3D Physicalization)

This 3D globe visualises consumption-based CO₂ emissions per capita for every country in the world.
Instead of using flat maps or charts, the data is transformed into a physical shape where each country’s height above or below sea level represents its relative climate impact.

📌 How to read the globe

• Sea level = the global average consumption-based CO₂ emissions per capita.
  This is the reference point for all countries.
• Countries rising above the surface
  → Their per-capita footprint is higher than the world average.
• Countries sinking below the surface
  → Their per-capita footprint is lower than the world average.
• Bumpy or uneven regions
  → These are countries where no reliable CO₂ data was available.
  For these areas, the model assigns the average value of the continent to avoid large holes in the surface.

🎯 Purpose of the model

The goal is to make global climate inequality tangible.
When printed, you can literally feel the difference between high-emission and low-emission countries. Wealthier nations tend to form tall ridges, while many low-income regions fall below the surface.

This type of physicalization makes climate data easier to understand in education, exhibitions, workshops and discussions about global responsibility and fairness.

🧩 Technical notes

• Built from gridded longitude–latitude data projected onto a sphere.
• Country shapes come from Natural Earth boundaries.
• CO₂ data comes from consumption-based emission statistics (e.g., Our World in Data / research datasets).
• Missing data is replaced with continental averages for smoothness.
• The mesh is generated programmatically; no manual sculpting.

🖨️ Printing recommendations

• Print in at least 8 cm diameter if you want the height variations to be clearly visible.
• Use 0.15–0.2 mm layer height for best surface detail.
• Supports are normally not required if printed in two hemispheres.
• Can be scaled freely — relative heights remain correct.

💬 Suggested uses

• Teaching about climate inequality
• Demonstrating the difference between production-based and consumption-based emissions
• Public exhibits or workshops
• Discussion starter on global fairness and sustainability