The concept of ‘climate stripes’, originally popularised to visually depict global warming, is now being adapted to highlight the pressing issue of air pollution.
This new version of the ‘climate stripes’, created by British climate scientist Professor Ed Hawkins, of the University of Reading, use a series of coloured bands to represent long-term trends in environmental data — in this case, pollution levels. The goal is to make the often-invisible problem of air pollution more tangible and understandable to the public, thereby driving home the urgency of addressing it.
Air pollution is a major global health concern, contributing to an estimated 8.7 million premature deaths annually worldwide. However, its effects are often underestimated or overlooked due to its less visible nature compared to issues like climate change.
By adapting the climate stripes to represent pollution data, scientists and environmental advocates hope to shift public perception and increase awareness about the harmful impacts of polluted air on health and the environment.
On the Air Quality Stripes website, users can generate their own air pollution stripes for large cities, by filtering by continent, country and city. The images allow you to view changing pollution levels, and clearly see where government policies have come into play.
Each year is a separate vertical bar that is coloured according to the amount of particle pollution.
Air that meets World Health Organisation guidelines is coded as light blue. The colour scheme reflects over 200 images of smog from around the world. Shades of yellow, brown and black represent higher pollution.
The new stripes reflect levels of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter over time, showing clear patterns of increase or decrease. For example, they can illustrate the effect of policy changes, such as the reduction in emissions following the introduction of stricter regulations or the impact of economic activity on air quality. This visual tool serves as both a wake-up call and a means of simplifying complex data for broader audiences.
Ultimately, the use of climate stripes for air pollution aims to foster greater public engagement and inspire action. By making the invisible visible, these stripes could play a crucial role in encouraging individuals, communities, and governments to take more decisive steps to improve air quality and protect public health.
More than 99% of the world’s population continue to breathe air that does not meet World Health Organisation guidelines. Particle pollution is thought to lead to more between 29,000 and 43,000 early deaths annually in the UK.
Prof Ed Hawkins said: “The climate stripes have appeared on the white cliffs of Dover, on football kits and race cars, at music festivals and at London fashion week.
“The stripes have been embraced by organisations and communities to show their concern and commitment to address climate change. Many of these come together on ‘Show Your Stripes Day’, an annual call for people to share the stripes and send a powerful message about our changing climate.
“By making abstract data tangible, we can all play a part in solving some of the world’s biggest problems.”
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