THE CLIMATE IS CHANGING? SHOW ME THE DATA-Introduction

Introduction to a three-part presentation of pertinent climate change data

Some of the most recent surveying of their attitudes shows that the most Americans across the political spectrum have some level of concern about climate change and climate impacts. Many even translate those concerns into opposing federal actions designed to reduce or even eliminate programs inherited from previous administration.

We live in a world that is divided by two opposing views. From the President, we hear that “One of the most urgent tasks …is to decisively defeat the climate hysteria hoax. ... It’s a hoax. The whole thing is a total … It’s so crazy.” From the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) we hear that “The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet.” In between, there are millions of people who want to know what to think about a changing climate; and so it seems to me that we should answer their needs for facts and not opinion. We need to show them some clear, robust, rigorous, and accessible data and be open to discussing truthfully what it means.

The cover figure above provides some more detailed context. It was first published in the 2025 edition of Climate change in the American Mind: Politics and Policy (2025) from the Yale Program on Climate Communication. It reveals a number of things. First of all, averaged over the population of registered voters in the United States, more than 50% have favored making climate action a federal government priority since 2017, with the latest estimates hovering between 50% and 60%. Favorability proportions for conservative Republicans have remained below 20% since 2008 while comparable statistics for Democrats show a steady plateau between 86% and 94% over the past decade.

Significant variability in favorability is, by way of contrast, displayed by the survey’s two groups: liberal-moderate Republicans since 2019 (and especially in 2024-25) and moderate-conservative Democrats. It is from these two hyphenated groups that we are most likely to hear imperatives like “If you believe in climate change, show me the numbers. Show me the data!” If we are to respond effectively to their request, we must have some resources at the ready. We cannot expect that simply enccouraging them to consult this or that scholarly scientific report on their own will suffice. We need to be able to say something like “Let me show you some really clear graphs and charts that show real and reliable data. I can help you decipher what they show if you want.”

More specifically, this three-part series tries to fill some of that need by providing images and short explanations for data that support three major categories of pertinent climate science findings:

(1) the planet is warming due in large measure to human interference and that the warming has been setting monthly records for years;

(2) extreme and costly events attributable at least in part to the warming planet are increasing alarmingly in both intensity and frequency; and

(3) reasons for concern about risks from climate change.

Each part focuses attention on a single finding, but they will all be posted here consecutively in very short order.

I have chosen to illustrate the data in each part by using figures that first appeared in peer-reviewed science assessments because “a picture is worth a thousand words” unless, of course, it takes 1000 words to explain. This collection is meant to be a reference resource as opposed to a quick read; and the collection may grow with additional pieces be added by us climate-minders or even others. We hope it will become an evolving up-to-date go-to-resource when climate discussions arise.

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Gary Yohe is th Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies (emeritus), Wesleyan University.