#ShowYourStripes 2021: Climate change graphics go global as University launches new partnerships for the planet

Climate change images created at the University of Reading are today (June 21) being shared all over the world, providing a stark warning of how the planet is heating up.

Weather presenters, scientists, campaigners and members of the public are sharing the latest climate data, shown in simple coloured stripes, on television and social media as part of the annual #ShowYourStripes day, timed to coincide with the summer/winter solstice.

Stripes creator Professor Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at the University of Reading has assembled a new array of compelling stripes graphics, covering more than 200 countries, states and regions. For the first time, the graphics include the latest scientific data for annual temperatures up to and including the year 2020, and show the continued heating of our planet. The latest available graphics include brand new versions of the stripes images, including classic, labelled and bar chart graphics, so that everyone can find new ways to #ShowYourStripes ahead of the crucial COP26 climate talks in Glasgow in November.

The latest versions of the stripes come after Professor Hawkins was named last week in the Sunday Times Green Power List of the UK’s 20 most influential people in environment.

Download your stripes for free here >>>

A Facebook frame will also be available on the day, allowing users to place the global warming stripes on their profile picture.

Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “You can show your stripes for climate action easily, by downloading and sharing these iconic images that show the reality of global warming.

“Acting on the climate emergency is much harder and will require everyone to play a part. As one of the world’s leading universities for the study of climate change and education, it is absolutely right for the University of Reading to take the lead in helping young people to discuss, debate and learn about climate change.”

Partnering for the Planet

On #ShowYourStripes day this year, the University of Reading is announcing a major new campaign to highlight the power of partnerships to benefit the planet and better inform the world about climate change.

Highlights of the University’s ‘Partnering for the Planet’ campaign includes:

• Climate education: The University of Reading announces it will host an online Climate Education Summit on 15 September 2021. It will bring together young people, teachers, scientists, teachers and educationalists, policymakers and campaigners, to create an action plan for better climate education for children in the UK. Our intention is to ensure that the message about climate education that emerges from the Summit reaches COP26. In addition, we will work with our partners to put the action plan into practice to deliver effective change. 

• Sustainable fashion: World-renowned designer couture label Tammam will launch its 2022collection at a London Fashion Week show in September. The entirely sustainably-sourced and ethically-produced clothing range will feature the climate stripes design of Ed Hawkins, showing how to #ShowYourStripes in sustainable style and will feature a limited edition COP26 climate stripes scarf, hand loomed by artisans in India in organic cotton. The low carbon, compostable, sustainable scarves will be available to buy from October.

More information about the campaign can be found on the University of Reading’s new Partnering for the Planet website. The site features climate change FAQs, the latest climate science and facts from experts at Reading, and advice on how everyone can play a part in bringing about positive change. The site also highlights the progress made by the University of Reading to reach its own ambitious carbon zero targets.

The world shows its stripes

The warming stripes were created by Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading in 2018. They show clearly and vividly how global average temperatures have risen over the past 150 years.

Each stripe represents the average temperature for a single year relative to the average temperature over the period as a whole. Shades of blue indicate cooler-than-average years, while reds show years that were hotter-than-average. The stark band of deep red stripes on the right hand side of the graphics show how human action has contributed to a heating up of the climate over time.  

The stripes were downloaded more than a million times in less than a week after first being made available in 2019. Among those to have shared them on social media are climate activist group Extinction Rebellion, the Weather Channel in the US, the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the US House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

They have also appeared on the Main Stage at Reading Festival, on badges worn by US senators, on placards at school climate strikes, on dresses, ties and scarves, and painted on the side of electric cars, trains and trams.

The stripes are available to anyone with a social media profile or a printer to start a conversation about the climate. Many schools, such as Leighton Park School in Reading which created a stripes banner as part of its Sustainability Week, have already begun to use the stripes to help pupils and parents understand the reality of our warming climate.