Walk a virtual forest for increased awareness about climate change

A typical Wisconsin forest was modeled to recreate the effects of climate change. — Alexander Klippel, Jiawei Huang/Penn State University/AFP

Researchers at Penn State University in the United States have created a forest simulation that enables the effects of global warming to be visualised through virtual reality headsets. The goal is to make these effects less abstract and to raise awareness among both the public and leaders.

This virtual forest is modeled after a typical Wisconsin forest of today. Those who "stroll" through it can discover the different species of trees, change their elevation from forest floor to birds-eye view, as well as examine the forest composition in detail.