Behind the Stripes: Communicating climate science and using data to build resilience with Professor Ed Hawkins and Berkeley Earth’s Dr. Robert Rohde

The world's first confirmation of global warming using actual temperature observations was published in 1938 when engineer Guy Callendar linked an observed 0.3°C warming to an increased atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Fast forward nearly 90 years and 1.3°C, and climate scientists are still using crucial environmental data to communicate the significance of - and urgency around - carbon emissions and global warming. But now with significantly better data, data that modern illustrative styles and communication tools are dispensing to a mass audience — none more recognized than the ubiquitous climate stripes, a colorful progression from blue hues to deep reds to show the world’s warming over time.

In celebration of Earth Day 2022, Data Points Podcast is thrilled to welcome climate stripes creator Professor Ed Hawkins for a conversation with Berkeley Earth Lead Scientist Dr. Robert Rohde about the importance of making climate science accessible, the ongoing efforts to “rescue” historic climate data, and why filling the gaps in the historical climate record is essential to increasing our resilience to climate change.

In this episode we discuss:

📚 The origin of Professor Hawkins’ famous climate stripes
🎨 The importance of creativity and innovation in making climate science accessible and approachable
⚓️ Why 16,000 volunteers across the U.K. worked with www.weatherrescue.org to digitize data from 19th century ship logs
🌊 How historical climate data is being used to craft infrastructure legislation and prepare for future impacts of climate change
🌋 Why increasing our understanding of the period between 1780 and 1850 is crucial to understanding the climate impacts of fossil fuels
💰 And why investing in historic climate data is essential to building resilience to climate change.

Join the effort to rescue historic climate data by visiting www.weatherrescue.org.

Find the climate stripes for your region at www.showyourstripes.info

🌎 Donate Now: Support independent climate science with an Earth Day contribution to Berkeley Earth at www.donate.berkeleyearth.org.