University of Reading's climate stripes beamed onto White Cliffs of Dover

Published by

Stephen Emerson

The White Cliffs of Dover with the message beamed onto them

The White Cliffs of Dover have been illuminated blue and red to highlight a stark climate change message.

The Tate Modern chimney and landmarks in Reading, the USA and Canada also display the climate stripes on June 21, to mark Show Your Stripes Day.

People all over the world are being encouraged to download and share the graphics and start conversations about the impact of climate change where they live.

Created in 2018 by Professor Ed Hawkins, climate scientist at the University of Reading and National Centre for Atmospheric Science, the vertical-coloured bars have no words and no numbers and show the progressive heating of our planet in a single, striking image. The blue and red stripes show clearly and vividly how global average temperatures have risen over nearly two centuries.

Professor Hawkins said: “In 2022 millions of people saw the stripes at Reading Festival, London Fashion Week and on football kits and started conversations about climate change. Displaying the stripes on the White Cliffs of Dover and other landmarks will hopefully lead to more conversations about our warming world and inspire people to work together to tackle climate change.

“We are seeing a rapid rise in temperature, mainly due to burning fossil fuels, and this already means we are experiencing more intense extreme weather with severe consequences for all of us. Every bit of future warming will make those consequences worse.”

Stephen Emerson

Stephen Emerson is the Managing Editor of The Business Magazine and is responsible for the publication's print publications and online properties including the newly launched Biz News websites in Hampshire and Dorset. Stephen has been a journalist for 20 years and has worked at local, regional and national publications and led a team which made The Scotsman website one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK with over eight million monthly users. He has a keen interest in technology, property and corporate finance and telling the stories of the people behind the successful firms in these sectors.