There are those who stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that global warming is a thing, and will perhaps continue to do so until ocean water arrives at their doorstep. That's what Google has tried to recreate, though still on a virtual scale, by showing the effect of the phenomenon on the Los Angeles coastline.

Now, it doesn't seem likely that Google thinks that non-believers are concentrated in that part of the world. Odds are that it can generate more publicity and awareness than an obscure uninhabited coast in Chile (a big fan of Chile, don't get the wrong impression).

This new "feature" of Google Maps seems to only affect the L.A. coast for now, and you may not be able to check it out for yourself everywhere in the world. We certainly tried, and couldn't replicate it from our headquarters, so it's likely a region-limited thing.

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