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https://theconversation.com/share-prices-sports-results-co-levels-the-case-for-reporting-climate-stats-every-day-278202>
In today’s CO₂ news, global atmospheric carbon is at 429.46 parts per
million. That’s one point lower than yesterday and 79 above the recommended
planetary boundary.
"That’s not something we hear routinely in news bulletins, of course. But such
numeric snapshots – what’s up, what’s down and overall trends – are very
familiar from daily reports of everything from stock markets to sports.
Might there be an argument for applying the same format to planetary health?
Some media organisations already think so, including updates on atmospheric
carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in their regular coverage. But the practice remains
far from mainstream.
It makes sense for news outlets to report this way, however, because humans
understand trends better than abstractions or hard-to-visualise phenomena.
A brief summary of share price movements, for example, may not be the full
financial story. But it does provide a regular barometer of likely changes to
things that affect us – like fuel prices, mortgage payments or retirement
savings.
The data is often easily available to news outlets, easy to visualise
graphically, simple to slot in alongside weather and sport, and audiences are
used to it.
Familiarity is the key. Stocks, weather and sports scores are “ritualised media
information” – habits that shape our collective awareness. They help our brains
judge an issue’s importance by how often it appears in our information
environment."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
