If you watched the Opening Ceremony of the Rio Olympics Friday evening, social media was buzzing about the bold inclusion of a segment on climate change. The segment highlighted the perils of sea level rise on vulnerable nations and cities and also showed Ed Hawkins’ compelling visual spiral indicating global warming. I also noticed more activity on my social media platforms from people that normally do not talk about the topic. The overwhelming comments where things like “wow, that was a wake up call” or “that really stimulated a conversation with my kids.” On the same day, I read a study showing that Leonardo di Caprio’s speech about climate change at the Oscars strongly resonated with the public. This convergence made me ponder why the “Rio Olympic Effect” and “the DiCaprio Effect” resonates with the public even though scientists have been warning of many of these effects for decades.

from Forbes – Tech http://ift.tt/2aYIb3f
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