If global sea levels were to rise eight feet, landmarks such as the National Mall in Washington, D.C., or Battery Park in New York City, would be underwater. It’s hard to imagine.

But a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration finds that if emissions of carbon pollution continue unchecked throughout this century, this extreme scenario is possible.

To help people imagine what it would look like locally, the nonprofit Climate Central created an overlay for Google Earth’s 3D maps. Users can zoom in and see renderings of flooded neighborhoods and streets.

Carl Parker is a meteorologist with The Weather Channel, which shared some of these images online.

Parker: “When you see these familiar places, being completely covered by water, you start to really realize the impact of this.”

He hopes that reflecting on the consequences of this worst-case-scenario will inspire people to take action to reduce carbon pollution.

Parker: “If people don’t want to see truly profound changes to their country, to their states, to their cities, we need to start moving in a different direction.”

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media.