Week 2: Climate Signals: A 176-Year Data Analysis

This dashboard analyzes 176 years of climate data (1850-2025) to reveal the acceleration of global warming, its drivers, and its impacts. Using temperature anomalies from NOAA and emissions/sea level data from Our World in Data, the analysis demonstrates that:

- Global temperatures have risen +0.86°C, with 2024 marking the hottest year on record.
- The warming rate has accelerated to +0.35°C per decade - 49x faster than historical averages.
- CO₂ emissions correlate strongly (0.82) with temperature rise, with top emitters producing 9x the global average.
- Sea levels have risen 152mm since 1900, accelerating to 3x the historical rate.
- 57% of all warming has occurred in just the last 35 years.

 

MY APPROACH:
The dashboard is structured as a data story in four chapters:
1. Temperature Trends - Establishing the warming pattern
2. Carbon Emissions - Identifying the driver
3. Rising Seas - Demonstrating the impacts
4. Key Findings - Synthesizing the evidence

 

KEY INSIGHT:
The data reveals a clear inflection point around 1950, when human activity (fossil fuel combustion) shifted from minimal climate impact to becoming the dominant force driving planetary warming. The correlation between emissions, temperature, and sea level
(0.82 and 0.92 respectively) provides compelling evidence of human-caused climate change.

 

RECOMMENDATION:
With warming already at +0.86°C and accelerating, immediate action on emissions reduction is critical. Every fraction of a degree matters - we're already more than halfway to the1.5°C threshold scientists identify as critical.

 

eyJrIjoiNzgzZjVjZDEtMTM0OC00ZDc2LTk0ZmQtYmQ5ZDI5YWIxN2VhIiwidCI6ImQyOTY0YmE2LTZmYmYtNDIwMy05MjYwLWY5MGJkYTQ2NDlmMSJ9&pageName=8e247d6b91000a9c20b9