Thread by @johnlangab

Does the enormously complex issue of #climatechange have to be presented to policymakers, and therefore the public, as the behemoth it really is?

Today I released my second #infographic explainer on the @IPCC_CH #AR6 reports.

eciu.net/analysis/infog…

#SummaryForPeople 🧵

The amazing @skepticscience is even featuring it today, with added commentary, a real honour for a mere student of scientist.

skepticalscience.com/ipcc-explainer…

@theresphysics @BaerbelW @johnfocook @KenCaldeira

So, what does this, the longest explainer I've made yet, actually say?

Like the first edition — eciu.net/analysis/infog… — it kicks off with context about how we arrived at #IPCCAR6, on the @IPCC_CH itself and how it goes about communicating uncertainty.

Then it presents three nutshells. OK, acorns.

First, the problem statement.

Very simply, CO2 makes up about 75% of humanity’s heat-trapping emissions and is the gas we must unequivocally drive to #netzero as quickly as possible this century.

What are CO2 emissions doing?

Still growing. But slowing. [We] Gotta get going.

Any #climateinfographic would seem bare without the proverbial bath. How do we stop climate change and prevent the bath from overflowing?

Going #netzero, in all of its naked glory, of course.

@doreenstabinsky @JoeriRogelj

'The Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Great'

Granted, doesn’t roll off the tongue quite like the spaghetti Western title, but one of the golden rules of #climatecomms is to close on a positive, upbeat tone.

The good news is there's lots of GOOD to start us off. @GlobalEcoGuy

The Bad, and the baddy: fossil fuels.

@CarbonBubble @TransitionZero @matthewcgray @ClimateAd @KetanJ0

The Ugly. The @IPCC_CH tells us ‘we are not on track to limit warming to 1.5°C.’ That’s a profound understatement.

The ugliest aspect of climate change, by far, is that the door that was once open is closing fast.

And The Great. It’s very simple: #stoppingclimatechange will not cost the Earth.

In fact, the cost of #notzero is likely more than the investment required to achieve #netzero.

Low-hanging fruit has sometimes been synonymous with low-impact. Not anymore. As the #IPCCReport stresses:

*There are cheap options available now in every sector that can at least halve emissions by 2030.*

@ProjectDrawdown @hausfath

I guess the 'Tree of Solutions' is better than the 'Tree of Marginal Abatement'? @GernotWagner @ChiefExecCCC
@DrSimEvans

One low-hanging fruit a day can keep our emissions at bay.

According to the @IPCC_CH, behavioural and cultural changes represented a ‘substantial overlooked strategy’ that have been left out of transition pathways and scenarios for too long.

So I wasn’t about to overlook it.

@StuartBCapstick @CAST_Centre @GretaThunberg

Models and storytelling are unlikely bedfellows, but that’s the best way to think about @IPCC_CH scenarios that help us peer into the future 🔮.

I was lucky to work with IPCC scientist @SISeneviratne to bring these stories to life a couple of yrs ago:

ipcc.ch/report/infogra…

We’re almost there.

An oversimplified take on possible climate futures. All three - including @CFigueres ‘necessary, achievable and desirable’ future - have one crucial thing in common: each relies on the decisions we make now and over the next few years. @OutrageOptimism

Few beyond those deeply enmeshed in CO2 removal (#CDR) know much about it, so I felt it deserved special attention.

I'm cooking up a dedicated CDR explainer for the @NetZeroTracker later this year: Is it a moral hazard or a necessary evil?

@drvolts @Noahpinion @stv_smth

Finally, we arrive at #TheBottomLine, inspired by someone who regularly illuminates my Twitter feed with clarity and level headedness: climate scientist and communicator @hausfath. @CarbonBrief @KHayhoe

Because seeing is learning, my hope is that this slightly belated #IPCC #explainer will be used as a visual reference point to support the concise communication of what matters to those who matter before #COP27

@cathmckenna @_chloeswarbrick @DavidPocock @jacindaardern @trussliz

It takes a tribe to build an #infographic, especially one as lengthy as this.

A special thanks to the maestro @_richardblack for patiently helping me out with this one. #SonofZeus. And to @CommsNerd 👌

Student of *science* (and scientists)

Cc'ing @ProfCMitchell, @DLwasa, @HeleendeConinck, @ShobhakarAIT and @Fatima_Denton. No sign of Lavanya on here, unfort! Happy to consider adding anything you think deserves a mention. (Yes, it was supposed to say 'student of science')