With the world heading into what is likely to be another summer of record-breaking heat, many people and organizations are working together around the world to use the solar solstice as a reminder of rapidly rising temperatures. In what is now known as Show Your Stripes Day, there will be collective action by diverse and individual groups to display the warming stripes on public spaces and iconic landmarks around the world to raise awareness to the human-caused climate crisis and demand climate action.
“The warming stripes are all about making it easy for everyone to see and understand the impacts of climate change,” stated Ed Hawkins, Professor and Climate Scientist at the University of Reading. “It is about making the data accessible to everyone, not just climate scientists, and bringing everyone into the climate conversation so we can all work together, collectively, to demand systematic action.”
On June 20th, the eve of the seventh-annual Show Your Stripes Day, a number of famous landmarks have already pledged to light up with the warming stripes thanks to the organizing efforts of Climate Central, a policy-neutral 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The landmarks include the Lincoln Financial Field, PECO Building, One Liberty Place, and Cira Center in Philadelphia, PA; Twin Arches Bridge in Winston-Salem, NC; Dublin Link Bridge in Columbus and Terminal Tower in Cleveland, OH; Lowry Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis, MN; Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, LA; The Six 6 Light Bridges in Houston, TX; Skydance Bridge in Oklahoma City, OK; Baltimore City Hall in Baltimore, MD; and the San Diego Convention Center ‘Sails’.
“As we are an independent group of scientists and communicators focused on producing and disseminating localized and visual content about climate change, it was a natural fit for us to help lead the efforts of Show Your Stripes Day,” stated Lauren Casey, Meteorologist at Climate Central. “The warming stripes powerfully illustrate the rise in average temperature and the unique ability to localize the stripes to individual cities makes it possible to customize the stripes graphics for each individual city.”
A separate effort currently underway is a petition to ask The White House to display the warming stripes as part of the day’s activities to call attention to the risks of rising global temperatures. The current administration has already demonstrated a commitment to climate solutions with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, the largest legislative climate action that has been signed into law in the world. With nearly $400 billion committed to mitigating the climate crisis, the law has already significantly accelerated the clean energy transition. A number of leading climate scientists and thought leaders have already demonstrated their support for this effort. Plus, The Climate Reality Project, a non-profit organization founded by former Vice President Al Gore with a global network of 3.5 million people, has promoted the campaign to its members.
“As a clean energy marketer, I was drawn to the warming stripes because I appreciate the ability to make complex concepts simple, accessible, and engaging,” said Jessica Fishman, Director of Renewables at Kiterocket. “Then when I saw the projection of the warming stripes on famous landmarks last year, I was inspired and decided to start a campaign to petition The White House to display the warming stripes to further raise awareness to the climate crisis and climate solutions.”
The warming stripes show the change in average annual global temperatures since 1850. Red stripes indicate hotter years and blue stripes indicate cooler years, against the average of the period 1971-2000. The stripes represent billions of pieces of scientific data, collected over more than a century, in a single striking image. It is now widely recognized as an iconic emblem for the impacts of climate change. Over the past year, they have been seen on Envision Racing’s new Formula E racecar, on the White Cliffs of Dover, and on Toronto’s CN Tower. Additionally, the stripes have been seen at the UN Climate Change Conference, featured on the cover of a book by Greta Thunberg, appeared on stage at Glastonbury and Reading Festival, and on the catwalk at London Fashion Week.
About The Climate Reality Project
Founded by Nobel Laureate and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, The Climate Reality Project is working to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society. With a global movement of more than 3.55 million strong and a grassroots network of trained Climate Reality Leaders, we are spreading the truth about the climate crisis and building popular support for clean energy solutions. For more information, visit www.climaterealityproject.org or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
