CLIMATE CHANGE: EXPLORE THE DATA!

Ideas and innovation Industry

Climate indeed is changing, but just how much? In this interactive lab, we let you explore the climate change data for yourself in our exciting Wake tool!

Climate action is driven by people like you and me. It relies heavily on the collective efforts of international organisations, policymakers, and civil society. Because of this, essential climate change data needs to be accessible and easily digestible for those of us outside the science community so that whilst it informs policy, it also encourages widespread participation. At Pufferfish, we found an exciting way to present this data in non-other than our latest tool, wake!

 

WAKE is a powerful and transformative visual storytelling tool and in this app, it takes the climate change data from the IPCC report and spins it into a story of our big blue planet. It tells a story of climate and change. Activate it and explore the data for yourself!

 

If stories are not your thing though, you should keep going to see some quick takes from our wake IPCC story.

Areas at high risk of extreme temperatures due to climate change

This map shows the relative risk of climate change impacts driven by temperature increases. The dark red areas bear the brunt of the increased risk, placing the global south in more danger as temperatures rise.

Source:  NASA (2015)

 

 

 

 

 

Projected Change in Anthropogenic Temperatures

This visualisation shows the predicted future change in human-driven CO2 emissions when compared to the past 20 years. In a 1./5 degree warming scenario, green shades in western Europe and the US show the impact of successfully decreasing emissions. In the 4 degrees scenario, the purple colour indicating rising emissions dominates the whole world.

Source: IPCC (2021)

 

 

 

 

Projected Change in Frost Days per Year

This map explores the number of days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, known as Frost Days. The dark green area shows regions where there will be 40 days that do not have frost, compared to the historic average. Under the 4° warming scenario this region is much larger.

Source: IPCC (2021)

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated Yearly Landslide Risk

Climate change also impacts the risk of other extreme events. As glaciers melt and heavy precipitation events grow, landslide risk increased over wide areas of the globe, putting people and ecosystems in danger.

Source: NASA/NOAA (2021)

 

 

 

 

 

Average Methane Emissions from Wetlands

This map shows the average methane emissions under each scenario. Although less often talked about than CO2, Methane is a powerful contributor to climate change. Strangely, environments like wetlands help absorb C02, but they release more methane, so the picture is complex.

Source: CEH (2021)

 

 

 

 

 

Coral Reefs at risk

Climate change impacts mean coral reefs are at risk from both ocean acidification and warming seas. Coral reefs are extremely important marine ecosystems, supporting more biodiversity than any other ocean habitat.

Source: NOAA/PSC (2012)

 

 

 

 

 

Projected Change in Sea Ice Concentration

This map shows the impact of both 1.5 and 4-degree warming scenarios on the formation of sea ice. Notice the huge difference between the two scenarios. Without sea ice at the poles, we will not only use unique ecosystems but will also impact sea levels, ocean currents, and the reflective ice cover that send some heat back into space. 

Source: IPCC (2021)

 

 

 

 

 

Projected Change in Sea Surface Temperatures

Our oceans are the most powerful carbon sink, with the microscopic plant and animal life it contains locking up carbon as they photosynthesize and build their shells. Marine environments are in a delicate balance. As the oceans warm, this fine balance is at increased risk of being disrupted, with major implications for life in the oceans and on land.

Source: IPCC, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated Yearly Wildfire Risk

This map shows wildfire risk. As temperatures increase and droughts and long spells of warm weather with little rain become more common, so the chance of wildfires increases, alongside the risk of man-made fires getting out of control. Recent years have seen dramatic wildfires in California, Australia, the Amazon, and Borneo with devasting local impacts on people and wildlife, and huge amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

Source: NASA/NOAA (2021)

 

 

 

 

Projected Days Per Year with Maximum Temperature above 40°C

This map shows how we can expect days with temperatures over 40 degrees to become increasingly common in both scenarios, but significantly more so under a 4-degree scenario, with large areas around the world expected to see more baking hot days. Can you see how likely seeing this kind of temperature is where you live?

Source: IPCC (2021)

 

 

 

 

 

We're at COP26!

The bulk of the data used for our WAKE story was collected from the 6th assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The Assessment Report discloses crucial climate science data that informs the decisions of policymakers around the globe. This data is as massive as it is complex, and the amount of resources required to process such mountains of big data is tremendous. For context, the latest report took the work of 234 authors from 66 countries and 517 contributing authors, in addition to 14,000 cited references and 78,007 governmental reviews!

At this year’s UN Climate Change Summit, the IPCC report is front and centre; informing stakeholders about the devastating effects of global warming, revealing potential risks, and presenting solutions for mitigating these risks through climate action. As the world gathers for negotiations, pledges, and plans to cut carbon emissions, we look forward to its culmination in solid collaborative and clear roadmaps to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

We're smack in the middle of the action with our spherical displays in the blue and green zones, so if you see us, don't hesitate to stop by and explore another story or two. See you there!

Related posts
Write a comment

Want to see your stories come to life on our solutions?

Explore more!