AI images and climate change

Using Midjourney, the team at Utility Bidder has generated images for 10 famous landmarks to consider how they may look in the future due to factors such as erosion, discolouration, flooding, and sandstorms. 

You can view the research here: https://www.utilitybidder.co.uk/blog/lost-landmarks/ 

The future of the Brandenburg Gate, Germany reimagined with AI

Located in Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate is regarded as the national symbol of peace and unity. Having said this, if we don’t come together to reduce the effects of climate change, we will likely start seeing cracks in the monument’s foundation. 

Unfortunately, just like some of the other landmarks on our list, the surface of the Brandenburg Gate is vulnerable to surface discolouration due to heavy rainfall across the country.

The campaign has also revealed: 

• Spanning more than 21km, the Great Wall of China is a remarkable piece of architecture, initially built by Chinese emperors to protect their territory. While the wall has withstood military invasions, it appears that even the most preserved sections of this landmark could be threatened by climate change.

• Despite being a work in progress, the elements are already threatening the future of the La Sagrada Familia, located in Barcelona. Some aspects of climate change that could take a toll on the structure include flooding, storms, and global warming, which could discolour the stone and erode parts of the church.

• Other landmarks reimagined in this study include Victoria Falls, Mount Rushmore, Stone Henge, the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, and Petra.

James Longley, Managing Director at Utility Bidder, has commented on the findings from ‘Lost Landmarks’ and how climate change is impacting the landscape around us:

“The launch of Utility Bidder’s Lost Landmarks study precedes the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, otherwise known as ‘COP 28’ in 2023. World leaders will gather to discuss vital climate change solutions, and steps towards reducing its impact will hopefully mean less damage to iconic landmarks and terrains as we know them.

“If we do not preserve our planet and everything in it, we will soon find ourselves at the forefront of destroying some of the world’s most historic landscapes, so with this in mind, we’ve used AI software from Midjourney to reveal the devastating reality of climate change for some of the most well-known landmarks across the globe.

“We wanted to profile a range of factors that prove detrimental consequences of climate change, some more common and known than others, and this resulted in a selection of 10 destinations to work with - ranging from Stonehenge in the United Kingdom to Mount Rushmore in the United States.

“Global warming is set to have huge consequences for Stonehenge, and its fate may lay in the rest of warmer winters boosting the populations of burrowing animals - in turn, their deposits can destabilise stonework. Meanwhile, Mount Rushmore is liable to rock erosion, and the famous faces of American presidents of the past will one day be defaced. 

Hopefully, these images strike a chord with many on the damning impact of climate change and impact people to continue looking after and preserving these landmarks, as well as considering their own lifestyle choices to help the cause.”

You can review the research here and I’ve provided a full set of combined images here, as well as before and after shots of each landmark profiled.