[ad_1]
Image copyright
Instagram / kbaute
Kurtis Baute is relying on plants to protect him from mounting CO2 levels as he spends three days in this plastic cube
What do you get in the world with 200 plants for company?
Kurtis Baute, a self-styled "Whimsical Scientist" from Vancouver, Canada, is hoping to answer the question of one scientist (alive and well), and an insight into the effects of climate change.
"Basically I'm trying to recreate a micro, nano, tiny version of Earth in a jar," he told The Star Vancouver.
"And to do that, I need to think a lot about, mostly, air."
Why air? Well, because the volume in his 3m (10ft) by 3m cube – which is wrapped in heavy-duty plastic – would usually keep you going.
"Aim," the scientist notes, "and that's a big, crucial 'goal,' the carbon dioxide (CO2) levels would be up to where it would probably be lethal."
The air humans breathe out more in the air, Mr Baute stays in it.
When the CO2 level hits 10%, people can survive brain-damage, fall into a coma, or die.
Mr Baute is banking on the plants, which suck up CO2, to save him from that grim prognosis. He'll be monitoring his heart-rate and blood oxygen level throughout, and has a paramedic friend on hand in case of emergencies.
"Mr. Baut told Canada's CTV News." "But I'm going to try to be sedentary because every breath takes me one step closer to danger."
He'll also be hoping the weather stays cool, as the greenhouse-like construction gets seriously sweaty. It recently hit 34C despite the mercury outside sitting at 15C – and cooler conditions will be key to preserve the plants and prevent heatstroke.
- Final call to halt 'climate disaster'
- What could disappear on 'Hothouse Earth'
The scientist entered the dome at midnight on Tuesday 23 October local time, and plans to tweet across under the hashtag #KurtisInAJar
A few hours in, he explained his mission in a Twitter thread, writing: "#ClimateChange is real, we're doing it, and it's a real big deal.
"The messed up thing about my experience is that some of my abort values are in my life.
Mr Baute appeared to be holding up on Sunday morning local time, and shared pictures of his vital signs to prove it.
He hopes for his time in the world.
He listed three on Twitter:
1. "Eat less meat, it is horribly inefficient and uses tones of fossil fuels.
2. "Drive less.Cut your commute time.Bike, carpool, take transit, work from home.You have gotten better things to do than sit in traffic."
3. "Start a conversation about this." Let's be real, and encourage each other to do better.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Source link
