Welcome to the ECOSPHERE

A fascinating real-time view of the global
climate change discussion around the COP17 Conference.

The plants in the ECOSPHERE grow from your tweets tagged with #COP17.
Once you have submitted a tweet about climate change the ECOSPHERE
will feed it into a plant representing that specific topic or discussion –
causing it to grow a little more.

Enter
Vote for this tweet.
ECOSPHERE TIMELINE
View Timeline
Back to ECOSPHERE
The CNN #COP17 ECOSPHERE Project launched on 14 November 2011.

This is a timeline of how the ECOSPHERE develops in the build-up to the COP17 Conference in Durban.

To navigate around the ECOSPHERE simply click on the plant or tweet you wish to view. To switch between topics rotate the sphere by clicking and dragging, or use the navigation bar at the bottom.


Learn More
about the project
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A real-time view of the global climate change discussion.

About

World leaders are about to meet in Durban at the COP17 Conference on Climate Change to make crucial decisions for the future of our planet. Add your voice to the global discussion and the ECOSPHERE Project will bring your thoughts to the conference via a state of-the-art digital installation.

Plant a thought. Watch it grow.

The ECOSPHERE is a real-time Twitter Visualiser that aggregates tweets tagged with #COP17 and then orders them into specific topics or discussions.
Each submitted tweet will stimulate growth in the individual topic plants causing some plants to grow larger or faster than others depending on how the conversation is evolving. The result is an instant snapshot of how the world sees climate change.

Submit your thoughts now and watch the global discussion grow. Join CNN International for daily coverage of the COP17 Conference and ECOSPHERE Installation in Durban where CNN will highlight contributions from around the world in their program “Road to Durban: A Green City Journey”. Visit cnn.com/roadtodurban for more details.

Behind

the scenes

process, tests and explorations

Growth Mechanism

A digital tool inspired by the plant world and based on the laws of nature. Learn about the engine behind the ECOSPHERE project from all the parties involved.

Durban

The ECOSPHERE project arrives at the COP17 climate change conference in Durban, South Africa.

Early Prototype

See the early testing stages of the project. Watch project developers work with early models and develop the growth algorithm at the core of the ECOSPHERE.

Installation Photos

At the COP17 event in Durban, the live ECOSPHERE rotates slowly in a beautiful holographic display. Beside this, a large video wall takes a continuous journey through the system, displaying the new and most popular tweets to attendees.

Click here to download
the ECOSPHERE Project Digital Book ( PDF )

This is a project from CNN International for its coverage of the 2011 COP17/CMP7 Conference on Climate Change. For further information please contact us at