Talking about climate change #18
Something to share (5 minute read)
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I shake my never-failing bounty out
Alike upon the just and the unjust...
Muhammad Adam Rahis
I love written words. I find them a wonderful way to experience the world. Sometimes, I let them take me into the past. Sometimes, they take me into the future. Sometimes, they take me to landscapes I have never seen and may never see. Sometimes, they show me the intricate workings of the world. Sometimes they introduce me to new friends.
But sometimes I need a different way to look at things. Climate change is hard to comprehend – and I don’t mean just the science, I mean the scale and scope of the problem. There are a lot of numbers and graphs, and I’m not nearly as good with numbers as I am with words. Words, even when I struggle with them, feel as natural as my breath. But I don’t feel numbers.
That is why I love to see a good graphic or animation. Sometimes, all it takes is thirty seconds of flickering colours and an abstract concept leaps to life.
So, to help you in your conversations about climate change this month, I’ve selected some of my favourite climate animations. From the Arctic sea ice to droughts and extreme rainfall these animations help us comprehend what climate change means for us and for the planet.
These graphics and animations are great to share with people. If you use social media, then sharing links to these graphics and videos is a good way to start a conversation. Or forward this email to someone, so that they have the whole collection.
Hot and cold
The term “temperature anomaly” refers to the amount that a temperature differs from the long term average. If we take a time period like the last 150 years, the temperature in the early part of this time period is mostly less than the average, while in later years the temperature is mostly more than the average.
A climate scientist named Ed Hawkins turned the data on temperature anomalies from 1850 until 2022 into an amazing chart known as the “warming stripes”, which you can see below. The specific chart I’ve included is for the world, but you can also see charts for New Zealand and other countries at the following links.
Warming stripes for New Zealand
The climate visualisations that leave no room for doubt or denial | The Spinoff
Warming stripes for India
Warming stripes for USA
But there are more ways to look at temperature anomalies than just static graphics. The following links show temperature anomalies over time using videos. The first looks at individual countries, while the second also includes the oceans. In the second, keep an eye on the eastern Pacific Ocean where you can see El Niño and La Niña.
Climate Stripes Showing Worldwide Climate Change (1900-2020) - YouTube (30 second video)
Global Climate Change 1850-2020 - YouTube (2 minute video)
Wet and dry
It’s harder to find good graphics for rainfall, but I’ve found a couple of videos that give some insight into rainfall and drought. The first video looks at extreme rainfall and drought events around the world for the last 20 years. It’s too short a time period to see long-term trends, but it is fascinating to watch. The second video explains a new technique which monitors water in the soil to help predict droughts, with some great graphics showing the differences in surface water and ground water.
Warming Makes Droughts, Wet Events More Frequent, Intense | NASA (30 second video)
Global Groundwater Maps and U.S. Drought Forecasts (3 minute video)
The following video shows sea level rise around the world, because it’s not, as you might expect, rising at the same rate everywhere. If you look hard, you can see New Zealand right at the bottom of the globe.
Video: 22-year sea level rise – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet (nasa.gov) (1 minute video)
Cold and colder
Some of the most powerful images I’ve seen come from the world’s coldest places. The loss of Arctic sea ice, in particular, really brought home to me how much things have changed within my lifetime. The first video shows how the minimum area of sea ice has declined since 1979. The second video looks much more closely at the sea ice, not only showing the extent of the sea ice but also its age.
Annual Arctic Sea Ice Minimum 1979-2020 with Area Graph - YouTube (1 minute video)
Disappearing Arctic sea ice - YouTube (3 minute video)
The following website shows what has happened to Switzerland’s glaciers over the last century.
Photos show dramatic Swiss glacier retreat | Reuters.com
If you want to get completely sidetracked, NASA’s Global Ice Viewer has an amazing collection of graphics, animations and videos. The first two links below take you to some particularly impressive, although worrying, videos. The third link below takes you to the main page, where you can find your own favourites to share.
Store Glacier in Greenland calving (2 minute video)
Larsen B ice shelf collapse (10 second video)
This month’s climate poem
This month’s climate poem comes from Nigerian poet Muhammad Adam Rahis. It gave me shivers down my spine and it’s a powerful reminder that although our Earth gives us enough, we don’t all end up with an even share.
A Vision of Climate, a poetry by Muhammad Adam Rahis - Susa Africa (susafrica.com)
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Great visual resources, thanks for sharing!
These are great videos, Melanie! Short and easy to share with others. Here's one that's a bit longer, but is a good escape, though ultimately saddening: https://youtu.be/hro6ciOyVkY
It shows the hike a group of three took in Montana's Glacier National Park to document the retreat of the glaciers. The mountains are absolutely glorious, but the lack of ice and snow just socks your gut.