The Ghosts of Gas Stations: Art Transforming Warnings into a Stark Reality
Imagine flipping through an old gas station map – the bright colors, the promises of cheap fuel, the stylized depictions of highways stretching into the distance. Now, imagine those same maps, subtly altered, revealing a submerged world. Seattle-based artist and cartographer Jeffrey Linn is doing just that, transforming vintage promotional maps into powerful visualizations of a future shaped by climate change. His “Petrofuture” series isn’t just art; it’s a pointed critique of fossil fuel dependence and a sobering glimpse into a potential reality.
From Advertising to Apocalypse: A Creative Response
Linn’s process begins with scouring the globe for these aged maps – relics of a bygone era when oil companies aggressively promoted car culture. These weren’t mere navigational aids; they were targeted advertisements, encouraging endless road trips and reinforcing the reliance on petroleum. Linn then meticulously updates these maps, adding 66 meters – the highest predicted sea level rise according to the IPCC – to illustrate the devastating consequences of unchecked warming.
Gas station map of Washington DC, reimagined by Jeffrey Linn.
The result is a disorienting yet incredibly effective display. Familiar landscapes – London, Paris, even Miami – are transformed with faded layers signifying submerged areas. Central Seattle and Vancouver? They’re islands. Los Angeles? The legendary Bay of LA. The scale of the inundation is genuinely unsettling.
The Legal Defense – and the Message
Linn’s careful methodology isn’t purely aesthetic. He’s aware of the legal implications of creating what could be considered editorial content. A savvy IP attorney advised him to add his own logo to the maps, cleverly positioning them as “protected works of parody.” This subtly shifts the legal landscape, shielding him from potential lawsuits by the corporations whose maps he’s repurposing.
“Petrol corporations spend billions today telling us they care about the environment,” Linn explains, “and this is my small way of counteracting that, using nostalgia to point out their greenwashing.” He’s using a classic marketing tool – the nostalgic map – to expose its sinister purpose.
IPCC Projections and the Rising Tide
The data underpinning Linn’s maps comes from credible sources. The IPCC, the leading international body for assessing climate change, predicts sea level rise based on the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers. While a 15-20-foot rise by 2100 is a conservative estimate – led by ice scientist Richard Alley – even smaller increases, averaging 3.4mm per year since 2000 (doubling the rate from the 20th century), represent a serious threat. As Elon Musk famously (and perhaps underestimated) pointed out, the ocean is already rising at almost four times the typical rate.
Jeffrey Linn, artist and cartographer.
Organizations like Climate Central are actively mapping these risks, showing that within 25 years, significant areas of the UK – including London’s Thames area – and parts of Northern England could be submerged. They use data sources like the 2022 Sea Level Rise Map Viewer from NOAA to illustrate these impending changes.
Beyond the Numbers: A Human Cost
It’s easy to get bogged down in abstract statistics. Linn’s maps force us to confront the human impact of climate change. He notes that individuals have difficulty imagining the world beyond their immediate lived experiences, making it difficult to grasp the consequences of long-term environmental shifts. “We may not be able to think about the world in thousands of years, but we can imagine the Tudor period as that’s just 450 years ago,” he argues, grounding the issue in relatable historical context.
Gas station map of Paris, reimagined by Jeffrey Linn.
Gas station map of London, reimagined by Jeffrey Linn.
Did You Know?
Did you know? The rate of sea level rise has *doubled* since the 20th century. Scientists predict that, in just a few decades, cities like Miami and Venice could face permanent inundation.
FAQ
- What is the Petrofuture series? It’s a series of maps that reimagines vintage gas station maps to depict a world submerged due to rising sea levels.
- Where do the maps come from? Linn sources them from old gas station maps around the world.
- What is the basis for the sea level rise projections? They’re based on the latest IPCC reports and data from organizations like Climate Central.
Pro Tip:
Want to understand the risks in your own area? Explore the Climate Central’s Coastal Risk Screening Tool to see how vulnerable your community might be.
Call to Action: Ready to learn more about climate action? Explore the work of leading climate scientists and discover how you can make a difference.