Let’s talk science

Communicating science is just as important as the science itself; informing the public about what’s going on in the world around them can help them to make better decisions when it comes to issues caused by climate change.

Merging poetry and science

Poetry has been used by academic and professional staff at the University to disseminate scientific messages. In 2021, we teamed up with poet and spoken word artist dan Simpson to create a poem based on forecasting and flooding research:

Professor Hannah Cloke and author Maria Ferguson created a poem as part of Experimental Words, a collaboration which paired leading scientists and incredible poets to make a spoken word album.

To celebrate Earth Day 2023, staff from across the University shared their own poems on the theme of ‘re-imagining our world’ and climate research.

Starting conversations with visual data

No words. No numbers. No graphs. This was the idea behind the climate stripes, a graphic created by Professor Ed Hawkins to show how global average temperatures have risen over nearly two centuries.

The climate stripes, showing the change in global average temperatures over two centuries.
The climate stripes, showing the change in global average temperatures over two centuries.

From the White Cliffs of Dover to Times Square, the stripes have been seen all over the world.

Find out more about our work to champion environmental sustainability through world-leading research and practical action on our Planet Partners page.