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Why TV Meteorologists Will 'Show Their Stripes' For Climate On June 21st

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In June 2019, yet another high-level report was released. This time it was from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and it affirmed the scientific evidence of climate change. The National Academies are not some collective of contrarians posting simplified interpretations while munching on chocolate chip cookies in the basement. It is one of the most respected science organizations on the planet and one that Congress, Administrations, and businesses look to for sound scientific guidance. In the press release, the National Academies said:

Recently, questions have been raised about climate science. The National Academies have addressed many of these questions in our independent, evidence-based reports. We are speaking out to support the cumulative scientific evidence for climate change and the scientists who continue to advance our understanding....Scientists have known for some time, from multiple lines of evidence, that humans are changing Earth’s climate, primarily through greenhouse gas emissions. The evidence on the impacts of climate change is also clear and growing. The atmosphere and the Earth’s oceans are warming, the magnitude and frequency of certain extreme events are increasing, and sea level is rising along our coasts.

This statement is consistent with virtually every science society and government report yet some still choose to believe unsubstantiated "grey" reports, blogs, and Tweets that align with confirmation biases. Climate misinformation infects society like a disease, but there are multiple cures. On June 21st, TV meteorologists from around the world will engage in #MetsUnite. Here is why this "cure" is so important.

ShowYourStripes website

June 21st, 2019 is #MetsUnite day and the intent is for television meteorologists around the world to #ShowYourStripes. Climate scientist Ed Hawkins, professor of climate science at the University of Reading, created the compelling graphic above to simply convey how Earth's climate has warmed in the past 100 years or so. In the graphic, each stripe represents a single year from 1850 (left) to the present (right). In the graphic, you can clearly see natural variations that climate contrarians seem to always bring up to climate scientists. Here is a public service announcement: climate scientists know that climate changes naturally. However, the graphic also conveys dramatic warming in recent decades as the human or anthropogenic signal is superimposed on the naturallyvarying climate. According to the ScienceAlert website,

Now, he's (Hawkins) updated the project with a new interactive website based on regional temperature data for almost every country on Earth and every US state, sourced from the UK Met Office, Berkeley Earth, and other sources....Basically, anywhere and everywhere you look, things are getting disturbingly hot, and colour stripes that were once tranquil blues are fast becoming alarming shades of red.

Jeff Beradelli is the founder of MetsUnite, a contributor to CBS News, and a broadcast meteorologist who has worked in markets around the U.S. He tweeted,

Research shows TV meteorologists are a trusted local source of science information Together we are a force that can create transformative change within and across our communities. #MetsUnite for climate change this Friday!! Reach out to your local met and ask they #ShowYourStripes

This effort is a follow up to the successful #MetsUnite "Stripes for the Solstice" effort at the start of summer last year.

While it may seem like a no-brainer for television meteorologists to discuss climate change, it has been an evolving process. Broadcast meteorologists are the only scientists many people encounter daily, yet many colleagues in that sector of the field have been hesitant to engage on climate change (Yes, seriously!). Studies have shown that this is related to many factors: fear of alienating audiences, uncertainty about their own knowledge of climate change, and personal ideology. In recent years, this trend is starting to change. A 2017 study by researchers at George Mason University found that 89% of weathercasters believe their viewers are interested in local impacts of climate change. The same study also found that 80% of weathercasters are convinced of human caused climate change. This is a dramatic shift from previous studies.

Why is there a shift? There are likely many reasons. For example, easier access to climate information relevant to daily weather presentation has been a game change, and Climate Central's program Climate Matters is likely a key factor. The program provides market-specific and television-ready climate information for weathercasters. From my perspective, another key reason is that changing climate is happening and attribution studies increasingly show linkages to some contemporary extreme weather events. The recent oppressive heat waves in parts of India and the Middle East are likely examples. I also think colleagues are realizing that it is an absolute myth that viewers, even in conservative markets, won't watch if meteorologists talk about climate change. There is very little evidence supporting that claim. In fact, many of the "most watched" meteorologists in conservative states (Jim Gandy-South Carolina (recently retired), John Morales-Florida, Amber Sullins-Arizona, Greg Fishel-North Carolina (recently retired)) routinely talk about climate change.

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