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The Climate Action Unit is developing metrics that communicate clearly what is happening with climate change right now
What's new?
The metric dashboard - called Climate Change in Numbers - was launched at our London Climate Action Week 2023 event on 29th June 2023.
Summary
We are currently developing three new metrics which help people understand how human activities result in climate change, and how this links to the weather we experience.
The project uses a 'design-led' approach. This means we're starting with communications and design principles, rather than basing the metrics on what data is already availabile. We're also taking lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis about how communicators used metrics like the R-number.
Recommended reading
- A with 25 scientists, policymakers and communication experts
- A Financial Times article previewing the metric concepts
- Our blog describing the design sprint process used to kick start the development of metric visuals
Current activities
In June and July 2023, the Climate Action Unit is running a series of events to introduce the climate change metrics to a range of professional communities who may use them in their work.
This includes our free-to-attend online event for London Climate Action Week 2023, plus extended in-person workshops providing training for early career professionals and a celebratory drinks reception at University College London.
Our series of climate metrics events are of interest to:
- Data-users in the policymaking sector
- News and climate-specialist journalists
- Strategic communications professionals
- Early career researchers producing climate data
- Designers, digital content editors and multimedia producers
- Funders of innovative climate projects (climate risk & strategic climate comms)
See the full details of each event and click the links to sign up for an event:
| Date | Event | Who is this for? | How to join |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5th June 2023 | In-person Q&A: Getting things done with data in government – a Data Bites event (Institute for Government) | Data experts and data users in government and policy communities | Watch back here |
| 29th June 2023 | Online presentation: Climate metrics: using data to communicate change (London Climate Action Week 2023 event) | Open to the general public. However, it may be of particular interest to journalists, designers, communications specialists, social science researchers and climate policy thinkers. | Sign up here |
| 5th July 2023 | Drinks reception: New climate risk metrics: a product of science, design and communication expertise | By invitation (enquiries to climateactionunit@ucl.ac.uk) | Email to enquire |
| 5th July 2023 | In-person workshop: Using metrics to write compelling climate change narratives | Journalists early in their careers (>10 years), journalists interested in the different narratives used in media coverage of climate change | Sign up here |
| 5th July 2023 | In-person workshop: How physical climate data can be used as a communication tool | Early career researchers who work on data that is used to evidence climate change. E.g measuring physical variables, analysing observational data, quantifying climate impacts | Sign up here |
| 10th July 2023 | Online presentation: Understanding how climate metrics can support journalism | Climate journalists (including OCJN and NKJO members) | Sign up here |
| 12th July 2023 | Online presentation: Climate change in numbers: how data visualisation experts built a new communication tool | Data journalists, data editors, graphics editors, visuals specialists, digital content editors, multimedia producers and data design professionals | Sign up here |
The image shows the UCL Climate Action Unit Director, Dr Kris De Meyer, introducing a team of data creatives to the metrics at the design sprint, which was coordinated and run by Data4Change.
