Warming Stripes: Climate Change Data Visualization to be Exhibited at MoMA in 2025

In 2024, the hottest year on record, exceeding pre-industrial average temperatures by approximately +1.5°C, the warming stripes, a visual representation of climate change, are set to be displayed at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 2025. Created in 2018 by British climatologist Ed Hawkins, these stripes transform over a century of data into a sequence of vertical blue and red bands, each representing the average temperature of a year: blue for cooler years, red for warmer ones. Their intuitive and universally accessible design has made them a powerful tool for communicating climate change. Originally an academic project, the warming stripes have gained widespread recognition, appearing on clothing, buildings, books, social media, and even at sporting events. Initiatives like #ShowYourStripes Day, held every June 21st, encourage millions to share the stripes to raise awareness about the climate emergency. Their effectiveness in communication has been acknowledged in the art world, leading to their inclusion in MoMA's collection as an example of design serving change. Hawkins' recent study, accepted by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, demonstrates that the stripes are not just a symbol but also a scientific tool that coherently depicts climate evolution throughout the atmospheric column and the ocean. The troposphere, the first 10-15 km of the atmosphere, follows the same warming trend as the surface, with 2024 being the hottest year on record. Conversely, the stratosphere is cooling, especially since the 1980s, an anticipated effect of increased CO2 and ozone depletion, serving as a fingerprint of human activities. The oceans, down to 2000 meters, exhibit a clear accumulation of heat, with approximately 90% of excess energy ending up in them, and the stripes illustrate that the most recent decade is the warmest. The inclusion of the warming stripes at MoMA underscores the importance of visual communication in addressing global challenges and highlights the intersection of art, science, and environmental awareness. The stripes' ability to convey complex data in an accessible format is expected to inspire further creative approaches to climate change communication and action within the global art community.