Outreach

5 min read • 916 words

Here we showcase the different resources we have available!

At the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis we support lots of different environmental research. As part of this, it’s important to share what we do and the impact that the science we support has on our planet.

This page includes some activities that we have designed for public engagement events. If you wish to reuse this content, please credit this webpage.

Warming Stripes  

The warming stripes are a simple visual way to represent our planet’s changing climate - with each stripe representing the temperature of a single year.

You can freely access all the data, tools and knowledge you need to produce your personalised climate stripe for a location within the UK - whether that’s for your hometown, workplace or favourite holiday destination.

Talking about our changing climate is one of the most powerful ways we can encourage positive change. We have made a tool that allows you to make a personalised warming stripes with your chosen location and timespan - to inspire conversations about climate change.

You could use this data to create a craft project - whether that’s with crochet, paint, embroidery, mosaic, cake baking or any other technique it is up to you.

Try this activity at home  

The warming stripes are a simple visual way to represent our planet’s changing climate. You can make your own personalised warming stripes at home. You can freely access all the data, tools and knowledge you need to produce a climate visualisation for your chosen location - whether that’s your hometown, workplace or favourite holiday destination. We hope that this guide (available here as a PDF!)  helps you to create your own warming stripes whilst encouraging conversations about climate change. Please send us photos of your creations!

Step 1: Choose a craft that you’d like to use  

You could knit, crochet, paint, embroider, mosaic, bake or any other craft technique it is up to you.

Step 2: Gather craft materials  

Try to recycle and reuse wherever possible! Plan how many colours you’d like to include in your stripe.

Step 3: Get the data for your chosen location  

Use this tool to create your own personalised climate stripes!     

It will create a PDF showing the data for a chosen UK location. You can choose the time period, how many colours to use and the latitude and longitude of your chosen location.

Step 4: Create!  

Make your project using the climate data and your chosen craft.

Step 5: Share and talk about it  

Show off your craft project with friends, family and even strangers! Can you display it in your window or share on your social media? We’d love to see pictures of your crafts too. Send pictures to support@ceda.ac.uk or tag us @cedanews on Twitter/X

Step 6: Inspire and take action  

Talking about our changing climate is one of the most powerful ways we can encourage positive change. By sharing and talking, you can inspire others to take climate action. We hope we have inspired you to create your own warming stripes and encourage conversations about climate change.

Example Craft Projects  

Painting

Mosaic Tiles

Crochet

Resources to support this activity  

Don’t know if you can make a difference?  

Climate change can feel so huge and overwhelming that you may think local action isn’t enough to make a difference. But there are lots that individuals and communities can do.

Simply talking and sharing ideas about local issues and solutions can have an impact. It can help you to feel more in control.

Taking action with your neighbours, friends or family helps build community and strengthen local pride. It can also deliver a host of health and wellbeing benefits… whilst of course having a positive impact on your local environment.

Here’s a poster showcasing changes that we can all make in order to reduce emmisions! 

Worried about climate change?  

Climate anxiety or eco-anxiety is a way of describing how some people feel about the future in relation to our changing planet. Lots of people feel worried about the future and how things might change. It can sometimes be hard to know what to do with those feelings.

You are not alone - when asked about climate change, three-quarters of young people said the future of the world was frightening - and even scientists feel these feelings.

Here are some tips:

• Learn more about what’s happening - this can help you feel more confident in talking about your fears
• Share how you’re feeling - find a likeminded community who understand
• Reduce your carbon footprint - do something, even if it’s small
• Get involved - talk, raise awareness, encourage others to make changes
• Take care of yourself - you will have good and bad days

Useful external resources  

• 7 Tips to Recycle Better - Earth Day 
• Personal Climate Action Pledge – For the Love of Creation 
• Reducing your carbon footprint - KAIROS Canada (pdf) 
• 7 Ways Youth Can Reduce Their Ecological Footprints 
• Make a pledge, keep climate positive | Eden Project 
• The climate mitigation gap: education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions - IOPscience 
• Coping with Climate Anxiety - Childline 
• Coping with Climate Doom - BBC News 
• Young People Climate Change Survey - BBC News