Local Climate Data Stories: Data-driven Storytelling to Communicate Effects and Mitigation of Climate Change in a Local Context

Abstract

Presenting the effects of and effective countermeasures for climate change is a significant challenge in science communication. Data-driven storytelling and narrative visualization can be part of the solution. However, the communication is limited when restricted to global or cross-regional scales, as climate effects are particular to the location and adaptions need to be local. In this work, we focus on data-driven storytelling that communicates local impacts of climate change. We analyze the adoption of data-driven storytelling by local news media in addressing climate-related topics. Further, we investigate the specific characteristics of the local scenario and present three application examples to showcase potential local data-driven stories. Since these examples are rooted in university teaching, we also discuss educational aspects. Finally, we summarize the interdisciplinary research challenges and opportunities for application associated with data-driven storytelling in a local context.