Nations that have historically been leaders in economic prosperity, rapid industrialization, and heavy reliance on fossil fuels have increasingly polluted their atmosphere for the advancement of their own society – better transportation systems, utilities, and social structures (e.g. roads, water, schools). However, weaker, developing nations have been abused and exploited by way of green colonialism and/or war; their ecological and political environment de-stabilized for benefits they will never get to see. A legacy of powerful empires’ deliberate sabotage upon the ecology of their victims.
Our aim is to see whether these historical dynamics manifest within our simulated dataset, acknowledging that while the data are not real, the stories behind them very much are.
Each bar shows the anthropogenic carbon emissions for a region, measured in megatonnes of carbon per year (MtC/year)
The era of emissions has only just begun. Many of the biggest emitters are already in Europe, North America, and the regions they rely on. These are the early sparks of a trend that will define the coming centuries.
Colonial economies mined Africa's forests and minerals, fueling emissions in other parts of the globe.
Global powers have taken advantage of Africa’s resources for centuries. During the late 19th century, the Industrial Revolution fueled global demand for diamonds, rubber, and other minerals, driving intensive mining and plantation economies. Much of this activity relied on clearing rainforests, which not only released carbon from land use and farming, but also destroyed a major carbon sink. In the chart, you can see that Africa’s recorded carbon emissions rise more slowly than other regions that profitted from its resources such as the United States and Western Europe, reflecting limited local industrialization. It’s only in the post–World War II period, as economies begin to develop and energy use grows, that Africa’s emissions start to climb more sharply.
As Iran fought to reclaim its oil, global emissions climbed — a reminder that power flowed as much from carbon as from politics.
In the early 20th century, British prospectors discovered oil in Iran and began the first large-scale drilling projects. Iranian oil had become one of Britain’s most important strategic resources. Yet the profits flowed outward while many Iranians remained in poverty. This imbalance fueled resentment and, eventually, the nationalization of Iran’s oil industry under Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who argued that Iran should benefit from its own reserves. However in 1953, the CIA and British intelligence orchestrated a coup that overthrew this government and reinstated a monarchy aligned with Western interests — a reminder that control over carbon resources has always been deeply political.
A radioactive mark entered the carbon cycle, invisible to the emissions curve.
The atomic bomb on Japan is a unique event in which destruction was brought about not for resource extraction but for the cessation of war. During WW II Japan was the last nation in the Axis power to surrender. The United States had determined that – due to the resiliency of the Japanese – conventional bombing and ground invasions were not sufficient. Nuclear testing in the mid 1900s produced unusual isotopes in the atmosphere – specifically 14C. Various examinations were done that showed the ratio of 14CO2 to total CO2 rapidly increased during this time. This concern over the danger posed by atmospheric radioactive fallout produced by above ground nuclear weapons testing led to the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty signed by the United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom.
An empire that once scarred the world now confronts the scars it left upon itself. What Britain built on coal lifted an empire — and nearly suffocated its own capital.
In December 1952, London was engulfed for five days by the Great Smog, a toxic haze that created a spike in pneumonia and bronchitis cases. The lethal smog was formed by a combination of industrial pollution from coal burning and a period of high pressure weather. It led to an estimated 12,000 deaths not including the livestock that was also affected. In response to this crisis, the British government passed the Clean Air Act four years later in 1956, which restricted coal burning and helped with the transition to oil, natural gas, and electricity. However, if you look at the chart, carbon emissions continue to rise. The smog crisis helped local air pollution but didn't address the overall problem of carbon emmissions.
Chemical rains and burning canopies emptied Vietnam’s forests of life — and of the carbon they kept from the sky.
The Vietnam War grew from the long conflicts between France and Vietnam. The Geneva Peace Accords was an attempt to resolve these conflicts signed by France and the communist leaderships of Vietnam – the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China – and stipulated that Vietnam be reunified by a national election. However, as cold war tensions continued to build, anxiety seeped through the United States, and unification efforts stalled; the United States became more involved. This conflict pitted the communist North Vietnam against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally the United States. The deliberate mass removal of vegetation by bombing and chemical defoliants (Agent Orange) sought to eliminate forest cover and with it the carbon it stored was released.