Today, 9th September 2021, BBC news includes a report which claims that most remaining fossil fuels – 90% of coal, 60% of oil and gas – must stay in the ground, “scientists say”. The UCL study is reported in Nature. “Scientists say” suggests that scientists all agree, something the BBC frequently implies. In this instance,…

Descriptions matter. As the seriousness of climate change becomes more evident, the way it is depicted will influence our response. Here are a few examples, with some potential repercussions. The hockey stick curve The image of a hockey stick lying on its back is often used to describe the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide over…